Mali's Toure releasing posthumous album in July
Reuters, May 19, 2006 7:24 pm PDTPosthumous albums often disappoint,
generally being incomplete recordings that would never have
emerged had the artist lived.
That's not the case with "Savane," the self-penned final album by two-time Grammy Award-winning Malian guitarist Ali Farka Toure, who died March 7 from cancer. "He was working on it into his last weeks and finally declared himself satisfied shortly before his death," says "Savane" producer Nick Gold, owner of U.K. independent label World Circuit Records.
"Savane" is a powerful exploration of links between West African music and Delta blues. Guests include British blues harmonica player Little George Sueref and former James Brown saxophonist Pee Wee Ellis. World Circuit will release the album July 3 in Europe; a U.S. release on Nonesuch/Warner follows July 4.
Ry Cooder collaborated with Toure on the Grammy-winning 1995 album "Talking Timbuktu" (World Circuit). He calls "Savane" a "truly great piece of work," adding that Toure was "in an enriched musical state" during recording.
Reuters/Billboard
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