Bush Taxi Mali review

Fake Jazz.com 11/04 Steve Rybicki Historically, field recordings have been problematic because they have claimed the privileged position that they represent a more "authentic" and therefore somehow better recording environment than a commercial recording studio. This assertion has been challenged at various times perhaps most famously by Harry Smith whose landmark and seminal collection Anthology of American Folk Music was comprised completely of commercially recorded works. There are plenty of great commercial recordings coming out of Mali these days (some of which have been collected recently by Smithsonian Folkways as part of the excellent Mali Lolo! Stars of Mali compilation), but Bush Taxi Mali proves there are also fantastic musicians waiting to be heard whose talents blossom in a more informal setting. Mount Analog label head Tucker Martine recorded the griots and other performers heard on Bush Taxi Mali during his travels through Mali in 1998. He was fortunate and diligent enough to track down exquisitely gifted musicians and capture them with pristine sound quality. Working with Sublime Frequencies who claim an "alternative aesthetic of exploration and research of global sound and culture" as their mission statement, Martine has proved the presentation of field recordings does not need to be clinical or lifeless. The packaging for this release is the first clue to its tone. Jeff Kleinsmith's booklet collage features Martine's passport photograph placed prominently on the front cover. It signifies both the travel required to capture the recordings and places Martine front and center as the facilitator of the project. The collage also includes shortwave radios, photos of local architecture and a whole page of stamps that somehow manages to provide a view of Mali that integrates everything from dinosaurs to French colonialism into a coherent whole. Before the listener even hears one note of its music, Mali is presented as a complex society with a rich and varied history. The focus on the personal is continued in the liner notes that read more like a travel diary than the formal tone that has plagued notes for some other field recordings. The element of storytelling inherent in this approach is particularly appropriate for this document since the griot tradition encompasses both narrative and musical expression. Often the events described outside the boundaries of the sounds on the disc are as interesting as the performances themselves. For example, Martine's description of "Fouta Djallon" begins with a walk through a pitch-black network of fields only to be met by a burst of flame from a match that flashes across Lasan Tougara's face before he begins to play the Tambin (flute). It is a tableau as old and dramatic as the illumination of Plato's cave. The disc itself is presented as a "day in the life" collection of sonic experiences. It begins with the sounds of a morning walk in Djenne and concludes with the sounds of Dogon country at night. In between there are the performances, each with a story attached to it that humanizes the music and cements its connection with oral tradition. Throughout the disc, Martine intersperses recordings of markets, weddings overheard through overdriven speakers that howl with feedback, and even radio broadcasts of popular music. In the notes to "Autorail," he tells of impromptu boom box led dance of forty people that arose after an intimate a cappella performance. It is clear that Martine is interested in locating the music within a broader context than just the musicians' performances. Those listeners that might only be familiar with Mali's more commercial output may not have heard some of the primary instruments used in these recordings. In addition to the afore-mentioned Tambin, there is the Ngoni that is the African ancestor of the banjo. The Balafon is a xylophone-like instrument with shaved-tuned wooden keys attached to stretched skin (often antelope) that uses different shaped gourds as resonators. The instruments' construction is a large part of the organic sound they produce; there is nothing artificial or forced here. The Ngoni is plucked in soothingly hypnotic circular patterns and the Balafon's sound is so fluid as to emulate a gently bubbling stream. The music exists in harmony both with the body and nature. The musicians of all ages and species use repetitive motifs to envelop and excite the listener. Even without an understanding of the language or of the stories told by the pieces, this is music that is immediately accessible to Western ears. The music flows so effortlessly that it is easy to underestimate the years of training that have gone into producing it. Jalimusa Amanita and Koman Diabate (members of the prestigious Diabate griot family) are featured on vocals and Ngoni respectively and the connection each feels to their instrument is palpable. Even the "amateur" Dogon children singers featured in "Kah Mohno" crackle with excitement (some of which might be due to the recording being their first encounter with a microphone). Even the goat singing along to "Deni Meba" is a natural talent! In summary, you've got stellar recordings featuring representatives from one of Mali's premier griot families, psychedelically distorted wedding celebrations, engaging and informative packaging, and a singing goat. What more can you ask for?