Or "Toumani and I"?...or how I got into West African music
I am very upset that I never got to see Toumani live. Go see the greats when you can, folks -- take that destination concert trip to France.
Was the class “Music of the African Diaspora”?? One of the best classes I took at WashU!
Apparently he found African music on his own. I also remember the music class I took (American Popular Music or something like that)
Possible! I can ask.
I read about Toumani's death first on this Facebook post by Songhoy Blues, who calls him "tonton" (uncle). No links.
https://www.facebook.com/SonghoyBlues/posts/pfbid023UU3RxxUDgM4tfmaNQieiLyeTbF1mG6Pnf9bMUHLCafrDyKrczgpVEL1wran2zivl
Then I saw that Béla had posted as well, linking to The Sudan Times (!)
https://www.facebook.com/belafleckbanjo/posts/pfbid0d1AxW6RR8KtqWv6CDf24XZJTQbeTVBcUtMNpzJbEsRSyKupCNWr1oBy5qwgirKCtl
It took a day or two before major Western outlets started reporting on this. But when the NPR piece came, Béla and other collaborators' comments were great.
https://www.npr.org/sections/goats-and-soda/2024/07/29/g-s1-13359/music-toumani-diabate-mali-kora
The most poignant were messages from Malian musicians who called him "mon frère" (my brother).
Ballaké Sissoko https://www.instagram.com/p/C9niJcwg8dR/
Bassekou Kouyate https://www.instagram.com/p/C9ncFb-OUd8/
Oumou Sangaré (whom I missed in April because of a trip) https://www.instagram.com/p/C9nUszAtY-5/
You can see that they were fellow travelers.
I am very upset that I never got to see Toumani live. Go see the greats when you can, folks -- take that destination concert trip to France.
Was the class “Music of the African Diaspora”?? One of the best classes I took at WashU!
Apparently he found African music on his own. I also remember the music class I took (American Popular Music or something like that)
Possible! I can ask.
I read about Toumani's death first on this Facebook post by Songhoy Blues, who calls him "tonton" (uncle). No links.
https://www.facebook.com/SonghoyBlues/posts/pfbid023UU3RxxUDgM4tfmaNQieiLyeTbF1mG6Pnf9bMUHLCafrDyKrczgpVEL1wran2zivl
Then I saw that Béla had posted as well, linking to The Sudan Times (!)
https://www.facebook.com/belafleckbanjo/posts/pfbid0d1AxW6RR8KtqWv6CDf24XZJTQbeTVBcUtMNpzJbEsRSyKupCNWr1oBy5qwgirKCtl
It took a day or two before major Western outlets started reporting on this. But when the NPR piece came, Béla and other collaborators' comments were great.
https://www.npr.org/sections/goats-and-soda/2024/07/29/g-s1-13359/music-toumani-diabate-mali-kora
The most poignant were messages from Malian musicians who called him "mon frère" (my brother).
Ballaké Sissoko https://www.instagram.com/p/C9niJcwg8dR/
Bassekou Kouyate https://www.instagram.com/p/C9ncFb-OUd8/
Oumou Sangaré (whom I missed in April because of a trip) https://www.instagram.com/p/C9nUszAtY-5/
You can see that they were fellow travelers.