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  Alkibar Gignor : La Paix
  
  Malian garage-rock group Alkibar Gignor deliver gloriously rough album.
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  Brownout : Oozy
  
  Latin-Funk group Brownout get down with some seriously laid-back swagger.
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  Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars: Radio Salone
  
  Sixteen great new tracks from Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars.
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  Funk Ark : High Noon
  
  Group from DC brings the Afrobeat fire.
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  , Amadou et Mariam: Folila
  
  Amadou and Mariam continue their foray into fusing their Malian styles with the sounds of western artists.
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  Nneka: Soul Is Heavy
  
  Nigerian-German soulstress channels her inner neo-soul star on her latest release
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  Sauti Sol: Sol Filosofia
  
  Kenyan, Afro-fusion outfit Sauti Sol continue their exploration of all things "pop."
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  KG Omulo: Ayah Ye!: Moving Train
  
  A synergy of funk, rock, reggae and traditional African sounds from this inventive, young singer/songwriter.
• 
  Various Artists: Chief Boima Presents: Lone Stars - Hipco and Gbema
  
  
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  Various Artists: The Kankobela of the Batonga, Vol. 2
  
  Mysterious melodies from a disappearing thumb piano tradition of Southern Africa.
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  Kiran Ahluwalia: Aam Zameen: Common Ground
  
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  M.anifest: Immigrant Chronicles: Coming to America
  
  
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  Sona Jobarteh: FASIYA
  
  West African female kora virtuoso releases an album full of grace, warmth, and passion.
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  Sia Tolno: My Life
  
  Kissi singer releases a strong second album full of pop-infused star power over songs of strife and triumph.

All Reviews >>

To begin with, you have to say that these two veterans of improvisational music are no strangers to spontaneous collaboration. Since moving from his native Gambia to the United States in the 1970s, Foday Musa Suso has worked with artists as diverse as Herbie Hancock, Ginger Baker and the Kronos Quartet. And DeJohnette? Well, where to even begin? Miles Davis, Sonny Rollins, Keith Jarrett, John Abercrombie, Carlos Santana. Even with all that, the easy, intimate common ground they stake out in these nine tracks is remarkable, and deeply satisfying.

"Ocean Wave" unfolds in something like a tango rhythm, with Suso establishing a kora ostinatto, looping it, and then lacing it with warbly ornamentations while Dejohnette grooves with simple elegance. When Suso breaks out his hunter's harp (donsongoni) on "Ancient Techno," Dejonette is freer to roam, but track after track, what is most striking is this monstrously capable drummer's discipline and restraint. The result is an extremely musical interaction, free of gratuitousness or grandstanding. Whether delving into Mande griot tradition ("Kaira," "Sunjata"), minimalist improvising ("Mountain Love Dance"), or rolling grooves ("Worldwide Funk," "Party"), the two musicians seem absolutely at ease and in synch at every turn.

Sometimes the simplest cross cultural collaborations offer the greatest rewards. Two grand musicians with much to share and little to prove create brilliant music here simply by relaxing together, listening deeply, and letting the juices flow. Listening to their gorgeous rendition of "Sunjata," you sense that the human and artistic continuum from a 13^th century West African king to the realm of American free jazz isn't so mysterious after all. In these generous musical dialogues, centuries of rich history are explored and communicated without the need to utter a word.