Afropop Worldwide's Banning Eyre was recently asked to write the liner notes for a very interesting Malian singer's first international release. Here's a sneak preview!

The music of Mali's northern regions has a natural appeal to American ears. Its loping desert rhythms, ringing overtones and dark pentanonic modes reveal a deep, genetic affinity with the blues. One need look no further than the phenomenal success of guitarist and singer Ali Farka Toure of the Timbuktu region for confirmation of this fact. Surprisingly, though, very few northern Malian artists have managed to have successful recording careers in Mali's own commercial center, Bamako. So it is that Ali Baba, a remarkably talented young singer/composer from the northern town of Bankass, is releasing his international debut from his newfound home in Los Angeles!

Ali's story begins in Bankass, a small town that lies below the cliffs of Bandiagara, home of the legendary Dogon people. The Dogon originally settled in this rugged escarpment to protect their ancient, animist culture from Islam as it swept through North and West Africa. Ali was born in 1966 in a multiethnic community. His father is Malinke, a descendant of the Mande people who ruled much of West Africa during the 13th and 14th centuries. His mother's ancestry belongs to the once nomadic Fulani (Peul) people, professional herders who now live in large and small enclaves scattered throughout West Africa, the inevitable result of centuries spent tending wandering herds.

Travel and cultural exploration began early for Ali, as his father and grandfather worked as traders and translators, in addition to tending their crops at home. Moving through this culturally rich region, Ali soon found himself speaking Fulbe, Dogon, Bambara and French. He took an early interest in performance arts, singing for his family and acting in a traditional theater group in Bankass. Even as a child, he set his sights on a career in music, but his parents disapproved, seeing little hope for financial security in such a life. Ali left home at 12 and began working as a guide to foreigners visiting Dogon country. He moved between the homes of relatives in Mopti, Bandiagara and Djenne--all rich cultural towns lying well north of the Malian capital, Bamako. At 16, Ali went to Bamako, where most foreigners begin their Malian travels, and continued to build his reputation as one of the most skilled and respected guides to Mali's living cultural treasures.

But Ali's musical dream never left him, and in 1996, he dedicated himself to it at last. In Bamako, he put together a group consisting of Adama Drame, a childhood friend from Bankass, and Mohaman "Bastos" Toure of Timbuktu on guitars, Mohamadou "Prince" Kone of Mopti on talking drum, and Zoumana Troite of Segou on traditional violin. The group presented a brisk and original blend of musical genres, with an emphasis on Fulani music. They quickly earned the support of local cultural powers. Badema National, a government cultural organization, helped the group to make their first recording. Ali and his group performed at the prestigious French Cultural Center. Then Ali organized a 3-day Festival of Fulani Music in the ancient market city of Djenne. Recorded by French television, the festival brought together European tourists, locals, and villagers from throughout the region, many of whom had never seen anything like it.

Over the next two years, Ali and his group performed regularly at clubs and cultural spaces in Bamako. His timing was good. With so few northern musicians working in Bamako, and with Ali Farka Toure's success inspiring Malians to take a new look at their neglected northern treasures, Ali's music found favor in Bamako.

Ali moved to the United States in 1999. He also traveled widely and learned yet another language--English. He put together a short-lived band with other West Africans based in California. But fate had other plans for Ali. In the summer of that year, his friend, Putumayo recording artist Habib Koite, made his sensational debut in Los Angeles, and invited Ali to come on stage and sing with him. After the show, Ali met one of Habib's fans, the legendary American singer Jackson Browne. Back in Bamako in February, 2000, Jackson sought out Ali on the occasion of his own first visit to Mali. They traveled around the country together, and Jackson sat in on sessions at Bamako's Studio Bogolon, where Ali and his original band were recording the original tracks for this album.

Jackson was so impressed by what he heard there that he decided to help out, offering advice, and financial support for the final mix, which took place at Groove Master Studio in Santa Monica. Musically and sound-wise, the results speak for themselves.

Ali Baba's concern and love for his people and his country come through loud and clear in this consistently inspired recording. He sings movingly about the needs of children in Africa, his sense of destiny, and laws--both of man and of Allah. The composer's profound religious faith and his sense of social justice come through over and over again. But even without explanation or translation, Ali's voice, his passionate music, and his ability to channel ancient Malian traditions through an electric pop idiom deliver a powerful, universal message. This is one of the most exciting recordings to emerge from Mali in recent years, and given this country's amazing capacity to produce superior Afropop, that's high praise!

Contributed by: Banning Eyre