"Jamanadiera"

Sizing up 2005 in the final weeks, this album jumps out as a neglected gem.  Lots of world music top-10 lists this year include In The Heart of the Moon, Toumani Diabate’s soulful session with Ali Farka Toure.  It is a sweet, laid back encounter between two masters, but if you really want to hear the kora played with gusto, as well as mastery, Toumani’s cousin Mamadou has the record for you.  Behmanka is among the most beautiful and technically awesome kora recordings ever made.  From its stately opener “Touma,” which revisits the title track from Mamadou’s ensemble debut album, to the lashing, 12/8 lope of the exhilarating closer, “Djimbaseh,” these 8 tracks take your breath away.

Mamadou’s technique is staggering, and a few tracks here really let him show that off.  “Jamanadiera,” another 12/8 tune, is laced with perfectly cadenced filigree riffing.  “Kora Boloba,” digs back to the player’s family history with a 10-minute rip into the Gambian repertoire, more active and restless than Mali’s mostly serene kora style.  “Kita Baro” strikes an intriguing balance between the two styles.  Hard to say if 10 years of living in the U.S. and collaborating with musicians in other genres has changed or broadened Mamadou’s musical vocabulary.  Nothing here seems dramatically outside Mande tradition.  What most impresses about his approach to solo playing is the way chops never get in the way of musicality.  Gentler songs like “Diarbi Kele,” and “Behmanka” reveal the sweetness and nuance of a seasoned musician, as well as the fire of a young lion.

Full disclosure.  I wrote the sleeve notes for this release, and there you will find out a lot more about the cultural significance of these songs and what they mean to Mamadou.  For present purposes, suffice it to say that this is a recording I keep coming back to.  It just won’t leave me alone.  Apparently, I’m not the only one.  Behmanka has just received a Grammy Award nomination, along with Heart of the Moon.  2006 will bring the showdown of the kora cousins.  Stay tuned.

Contributed by: Banning Eyre for www.afropop.org