SALIF KEITA: Tal\u00e9
\n(Universal\/Proper)
\nRelease date: Monday 11th February 2013<\/p>\n
Live dates:
\nFriday 1st February \u2013 Old Fruitmarket, Glasgow
\nWednesday 13th February: Royal Festival Hall, London<\/p>\n
Africa\u2019s finest, most soulful singer, Salif Keita, releases a new album, Tal\u00e9, on Monday 11th February. Produced by Philippe Cohen Solal of Gotan Project and featuring guest appearances from Roots Manuva, Esperanza Spalding, Bobby McFerrin and Manu Dibango, Tal\u00e9 is full of surprises – pushing musical boundaries and bridging gaps between the past and the future. DISCOGRAPHY:
\nPhilippe Cohen Solal met Salif Keita in January 2011 and they both agreed they wanted to breathe new life into the Mandingo tradition. \u201cI want it to dance!\u201d, says Salif. \u201cPhilippe\u2019s approach suited me: he loves traditional instruments so we kept that sound but injected a new flavour.\u201d The idea was to take Salif\u2019s song format and adapt it to the dance-floor.
\nSalif\u2019s simple guitar and voice lay the foundations for the album\u2019s melodies and harmonies while the rhythmical motifs are woven in by Aboussi Cissoko (n\u2019goni), Mamane Diabate (balafon), Prince (calabash), together with Cyril Atef from Bumcello (drums and percussion), The Dap Kings\u2019 Hagar Ben Ari (bass) and Christophe Chassol (string arrangements).
\nSpecial guests include the great Manu Dibango on saxophone and Bobby McFerrin, who improvises a soft melody on \u2018Simbi\u2019. The light, high voice of Esperanza Spalding combines with Salif\u2019s vocals on \u2018Cherie S\u2019en Va\u2019, a dedication to young girls who leave home to marry and \u2018C\u2019est Bon, C\u2019est Bon\u2019 features the unmistakable rapping tones of Roots Manuva.
\nTraditional instruments are used to push musical boundaries \u2013 the distinctive sound of the calabash takes us back to the sound of Seventies Disco, the sticky afro-beats to Detroit. On \u2018Samfi\u2019 a sample from the B52s\u2019 \u2018Planet Claire\u2019 slips between the strings of the n\u2019goni. In \u2018Tassi\u2019, Philippe introduces the sound of Cumbia, with Cuban Pity Cabrera on piano and Frank Rubio on bass.
\n\u201cYou think you\u2019re taking the music somewhere, but it\u2019s the music that\u2019s guiding you; it\u2019s the music that decides where to stop or when to keep on exploring\u201d, says Philippe.
\n\u2018Natty\u2019 features the vocals of Salif\u2019s youngest daughter, Natty Keita, who says to him \u201cJe t\u2019aime\/m\u2019bife\u201d and his answer, full of love and humour, symbolising a lightness of spirit that is reflected across the whole album.
\nOften described as \u201cthe golden voice of Africa\u201d, Salif Keita struggled growing up in Mali, cast out by his family as an albino and ostracised by the community. He left his village for Bamako in the late 1960s, joined the Super Rail Band and then Les Ambassadeurs, fleeing the country in the mid 1970s for Cote d\u2019Ivoire. In the early 1980s he moved to Paris to reach a wider audience and from there he became an international star. Now based in Bamako and Paris, he is considered one of Mali\u2019s greatest singers, releasing many highly acclaimed albums \u2013 Soro (1987), Folon (1995), Moffou (2002), M\u2019Bemba (2005), La Difference (2009) \u2013 to name but a few.
\nSalif plays two UK concerts in February \u2013 the Old Fruitmarket, Glasgow on 1st February, as part of Celtic Connections and at the Royal Festival Hall, London on 13th February.
\nTal\u00e9 is released on Monday 11th February 2013.
\n\u2018C\u2019est Bon C\u2019est Bon (feat Roots Manuva): https:\/\/soundcloud.com\/yabastarecords\/salif-keita-cest-bon-cest;<\/a> <\/p>\n
\n\u2022 Seydou Bathili \u2013 1980
\n\u2022 Soro- 1987 – Mango
\n\u2022 Ko-Yan – 1989 – Mango
\n\u2022 Amen – 1991 – Mango
\n\u2022 Destiny of a Noble Outcast – 1991 – PolyGram
\n\u2022 69-80 – 1994 – Sonodisc
\n\u2022 Folon – 1995 – Mango
\n\u2022 Rail Band – 1996 – Melodie
\n\u2022 Seydou Bathili – 1997 – Sonodisc
\n\u2022 Papa – 1999 – Blue Note
\n\u2022 Mama – 2000 – Capitol
\n\u2022 The Best of Salif Keita – 2001 – Wrasse Records
\n\u2022 Sosie – 2001 – Mellemfolkeligt
\n\u2022 Moffou – 2002 – Universal Jazz France
\n\u2022 The Best of the Early Years – 2002 – Wrasse Records
\n\u2022 Remixes from Moffou – 2004 – Universal Jazz France
\n\u2022 M’Bemba – 2005 – Universal Jazz France
\n\u2022 The Lost Album – 2006 – Cantos
\n\u2022 La Diff\u00e9rence – 2009 – Emarcy
\n\u2022 Tal\u00e9 \u2013 2013<\/p>\n