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CD
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GR 711CD
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2010 release. Lobi Traoré (1961-2010) was a true African original, a guitarist of profound depth and originality, a singer and songwriter with universal appeal, and a performer who became part of the very fabric of Bamako, one of the world's most musical cities. Not long before he died -- suddenly and unexpectedly in June, 2010 -- Traoré recorded an unprecedented solo CD, featuring just him and his guitar, in a single session with no overdubs. Rainy Season Blues turns out to be Traoré's final statement. It captures the pure essence of his artistry in full flower. From his earliest days in Mali, Traoré was an avid rock and blues fan who listened to players from John Lee Hooker to AC/DC's Angus Young. In Bamako, Traoré held a lifelong tenure in the city's late-night bars and clubs -- Bar Bozo, Makelekele, The Djembe, Espace Academie, and others. When his first cassette, Bambara Blues, appeared in 1989, things began to take off. Traoré had mixed feelings about the "blues" tag. "I listened to a lot of blues," he said, "Especially John Lee Hooker. Maybe I was inspired by that. Maybe the blues was inspired by Africa. Maybe the resemblance is just a coincidence. But listen, for me the music I play comes from me, from my place." Traoré would go on to release three CDs with the Cobalt label: Bamako (1994), Segou (1996), and Duga (1999). But there was a schism in Traoré's musical persona during these years. His international releases presented a toned-down, acoustic side of his music, while his club dates in Bamako became ever more wild, raw, and raucous. Subsequent CD releases like The Lobi Traore Group (Honest Jon's, 2005) did capture the more unbridled, rocking side of Traoré's chameleon musical persona. But all of it is Traoré, an artist with many faces. He sought to dignify a profession that many Africans still view as dubious. The fruit of that attitude and Traoré's rich and varied experiences are abundantly evident on Rainy Season Blues. In his final years, Traoré was driven to record and to demonstrate how he had grown as a musician. Producer and guitarist Chris Eckman had returned to Bamako to record the Tuareg desert rock band Tamikrest, but Traoré more or less demanded a hearing. When it became clear that a full-band recording would not be possible right away, Traoré turned up with just his guitar, and recorded this remarkable set of ten songs, new and old. The session offers a magnificently lucid record of Traoré's core talent. His playing has never sounded cleaner, fresher, or more nuanced. No guitarist alive phrases the way Traoré does, and to hear him unaccompanied like this is a treat not found on any of his other nine albums. Traoré's voice shows all its colors, from a soothing half-whisper to a world-weary growl to keening melodicism.
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GB 003LP
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180 gram LP version, housed in a gatefold sleeve. Includes a CD copy of the album. Bamako Nights captures the incendiary genius of Lobi Traoré, a soulful singer/songwriter and blazing electric guitarist from Mali, who died too young -- just 49 years old -- in 2010. Lobi produced five studio albums during his career, as well as four live releases, including the solo acoustic session Rainy Season Blues (Glitterhouse, 2010). But Bamako Nights offers the deepest and most intimate record of this artist's astounding power onstage in a small Bamako nightclub. In 1995, the Bar Bozo was a unique destination. Mali's democracy was just a few years old, and people were finding new ways to exercise freedom. The bar was an unglamorous downtown nightspot, dark and often crowded. It didn't cater to elites, but working people, who came to drink and dance and enjoy a live band long into the night. Lobi Traoré was still emerging as a popular artist in Bamako. His earthy blend of Bambara roots and edgy electric guitar, and his philosophical songs concerning social life and the challenges rural people face in the city, were made-to-order for Bar Bozo. No wonder he packed the place on a weekly basis -- Lobi had begun recording albums by that time, and performing in Europe with an acoustic ensemble. But at Bar Bozo, he and his small electric ensemble were developing a new, rawer sound, one that would make Lobi a staple of Bamako's live scene, and a legend of African blues celebrated around the world. You can hear in this smoldering session Lobi's joy at having recently acquired a flanger pedal. His solos build to soaring, ecstatic heights, as unhinged as anything in African rock since. The set starts out slow and meditative with "Ni tugula mogo mi ko," conjuring a trance atmosphere that Lobi elevates systematically with his keening vocal and eloquent picking. You can almost feel the weight of a sweltering Bamako night as Lobi forcefully guides his band though musical catharsis. By the time they kick into high gear on "Sigui Nyongon son fo," the weight has lifted and spirits are flying. It's hard to say enough about Lobi as a guitar stylist. His sound echoes older Malian pentatonic guitarists, notably the iconic Zani Diabaté, whom Lobi accompanied briefly. And there are clear rock echoes; Lobi was a fan of AC/DC's Angus Young. But in the end, Lobi's guitar voice is his own -- unmistakable, deeply informed by tradition and graced with sparkling personal epiphanies -- even with the flanger set to 110%. A few weeks after this recording was made, Bamako authorities closed down the Bar Bozo, and Lobi had to move his joyful party to an obscure venue on the outskirts of town. Bamako Nights is a time capsule recording. It evokes an artist, a time, and a place that came together with amazing potency, and can never be recreated.
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CD
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GB 003CD
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Midline pricing. Bamako Nights captures the incendiary genius of Lobi Traoré, a soulful singer/songwriter and blazing electric guitarist from Mali, who died too young -- just 49 years old -- in 2010. Lobi produced five studio albums during his career, as well as four live releases, including the solo acoustic session Rainy Season Blues (Glitterhouse, 2010). But Bamako Nights offers the deepest and most intimate record of this artist's astounding power onstage in a small Bamako nightclub. In 1995, the Bar Bozo was a unique destination. Mali's democracy was just a few years old, and people were finding new ways to exercise freedom. The bar was an unglamorous downtown nightspot, dark and often crowded. It didn't cater to elites, but working people, who came to drink and dance and enjoy a live band long into the night. Lobi Traoré was still emerging as a popular artist in Bamako. His earthy blend of Bambara roots and edgy electric guitar, and his philosophical songs concerning social life and the challenges rural people face in the city, were made-to-order for Bar Bozo. No wonder he packed the place on a weekly basis -- Lobi had begun recording albums by that time, and performing in Europe with an acoustic ensemble. But at Bar Bozo, he and his small electric ensemble were developing a new, rawer sound, one that would make Lobi a staple of Bamako's live scene, and a legend of African blues celebrated around the world. You can hear in this smoldering session Lobi's joy at having recently acquired a flanger pedal. His solos build to soaring, ecstatic heights, as unhinged as anything in African rock since. The set starts out slow and meditative with "Ni tugula mogo mi ko," conjuring a trance atmosphere that Lobi elevates systematically with his keening vocal and eloquent picking. You can almost feel the weight of a sweltering Bamako night as Lobi forcefully guides his band though musical catharsis. By the time they kick into high gear on "Sigui Nyongon son fo," the weight has lifted and spirits are flying. It's hard to say enough about Lobi as a guitar stylist. His sound echoes older Malian pentatonic guitarists, notably the iconic Zani Diabaté, whom Lobi accompanied briefly. And there are clear rock echoes; Lobi was a fan of AC/DC's Angus Young. But in the end, Lobi's guitar voice is his own -- unmistakable, deeply informed by tradition and graced with sparkling personal epiphanies -- even with the flanger set to 110%. A few weeks after this recording was made, Bamako authorities closed down the Bar Bozo, and Lobi had to move his joyful party to an obscure venue on the outskirts of town. Bamako Nights is a time capsule recording. It evokes an artist, a time, and a place that came together with amazing potency, and can never be recreated.
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