African Desert Blues

The work of Ali "Farka" Touré constitutes, according to movie director Martin Scorsese, "the DNA of the blues". We've made Touré (who died in March 2006) the focus of our African Desert Blues Essentials, as perhaps more than any other musician, he most clearly marks the connection between the great continent (he was from Mali) and North American blues.

As you explore further into the African blues landscape, familiarise yourself with the sound of Tinariwen ("empty places" in translation), a band formed in the early '80s in the Tuareg rebel heartland to give voice to their hopes for independence from the government of Mali. Tinariwen is widely supposed to be the first Tuareg band to adopt the electric guitar.

There are not too many musicians in the world who are as nifty on the kora (a 21-string harp-lute) as Toumani Diabaté. Here, he hooks up with Ali "Farka" Touré for a couple of tracks from their 2005 album, In the Heart of the Moon, which was recorded without rehearsals, such was each player's knowledge of the other's musical heritage.

If you've ever been told that the blues is a fusion of the European harmonic tradition and West African call-and-response song structures, then these Essentials will enlighten that connection with stunning clarity, and draw you a map that leads from Africa to Mississippi and back again. It comes as no surprise that North American bluesmen chased down some of the musicians on this captivating playlist (check out Ali "Farka" Touré's collaborations with Ry Cooder, Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown, et al. on Talking Timbuktu) to keep the bonds strong. Simply incredible.