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On this CD the role and importance of kamela'ngoni, balafon and vocals is equal to the kora, and Sissoko is content to sit back and let the other musicians perform: his is the best known name - hence "on the box" - but Adama Tounkara and Fassery Diabate should really be equally credited. This results in a warm, organic, traditional sound; beautifully balanced and with an unhurried flow. This is how it's meant to sound...
This CD has more in common with Toumani Diabate's Djelika than New Ancient Strings. Let's hope that this release isn't forgotten in the wake of these other CDs. Anyone interested in the kora, who has come to this music from whatever direction, should get hold of this CD.
I'm not an expert on Mali music....but this will do for me!
The other player, Ballake Sissoko, is much less well-known, but with "Deli" he demonstrates that he's Toumani's equal in many respects. His playing is just as magical, and on this disc he adds other colors to his musical palate. The kora, balafon (marimba), and ngoni (lute) make up the "big three" of traditional griot instruments, and on this disc they are joined by the bolon, another kind of Malian harp with a deep bass sound. All the musicians in Sissoko's small ensemble are amazing players, and the blend they achieve is marvelous. This recording may lack the lush reverberation that marked "New Ancient Strings"--it was recorded in a studio instead of a hall--but its crisp sound allows the other instruments to come into their own.
Sissoko varies his arrangements so as to cover a range of different sounds. His wife Mama Draba contributes vocals on three of the 11 tracks; one track is solo kora, while another is a kora-balafon duet; the remaining six feature the instrumental quartet. It makes for more diverse and engaging listening than Toumani Diabate's "Djelika" (which featured his trio of kora/balafon/ngoni).
"Deli" is a must for kora-lovers, and makes a great complement to "New Ancient Strings." It's ironic that instrumental recordings like those that we have previously heard from Diabate and Sissoko, and which are considered by many as the epitome of "traditional" West African music, aren't widely listened to in their home country. Malians generally prefer to hear singers, not kora, balafon or anything else, as the musical centerpiece. "Deli," with its mix of stylings both vocal and instrumental, might be an effort to gain a wider audience in Mali. I hope it succeeds in that respect.
The pieces, all arranged by Sissoko, show great variety in beat and mood. The accompaying musicians on "Déli" are well known soloists in their own right - two are also sons of famous musician fathers. They play the ngoni and the balafon. Both these instruments have an even longer tradition than the kora, being mentioned in the 12th century - the time of Soundiata Keïta, founder of the great Mandingue empire. Sissoko and his friends successfully bring the sounds of traditional Mali music into modern times.
The majority of the pieces are instrumental: kora solo, kora and balafon or compositions for all four instruments. Three songs feature Sissoko`s wife Mama Draba. Less known internationally than Oumou Sangaré or Kandia Kouyaté, her strong voice resonates with traditional "griot" stories and beautifully complements the sounds of the instruments.
Ballake Sissoko, distant cousin of Toumani Diabaté, and like him, a son of one of the great kora musicians of Mali, has distinguished himself as a virtuoso musician. Fans of kora music like "New Ancient Strings", which features the two masters of the younger generation, will want to add "Déli" to their collection. Highly recommended for newcomers to West African music too. [Friederike Knabe]
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