CD review: Samba Toure

Published on Sunday 16 August 2009 18:51

SAMBA TOURE: SONGHAI BLUES *** TUGCD, £12.72

THE late great Ali Farka Toure – the quintessential Malian bluesman, regarded as the African John Lee Hooker – continues to cast his shadow, with this engaging CD just the latest in a long line of tributes. Born in 1968 in a village near Timbuktu, Samba Toure heard him in Bamako and learned to play in the same style; invited to join Farka Toure's band, he became was one of his protgs. But he soon began to develop his own style which, as we hear, is a melange of Mali and the Mississippi. He formed his own band, naming it "Fondo" (meaning "the departure" in Songhai): its instrumentation is traditional, consisting of the sokou violin, the gnoni four-string guitar, the tamani talking drum, with bass guitar for ballast. Like most songs from this part of the world, Samba's lyrics hark back to ancient myths, and send moral messages. One describes the close bond between grandmother and grandson, while others celebrate marital fidelity. The final song is Samba's tribute to his master, a cheerful eulogy in call-and-response form, over the excited chatter of hand-drums.