Habib Koité & Eric Bibb

A Malian guitarist recording an album with a guitarist from the African-American tradition is not a highly original idea – it has been done a few times, after all, starting with the magical duo of Malian bluesman Ali Farka Touré and Ry Cooder. Nonetheless, we found Brothers in Bamako intriguing.

CD | Habib Koité & Eric Bibb ● ●
Brothers in Bamako blues (Contre-Jour)

First of all, because it comes to us from the Belgian label Contre-Jour, which keeps on surprising with excellent cross-cultural collaborations; and secondly because the griot Habib Koité is one of the greatest Malian guitarists around right now. What distinguishes this pair from what has been done in the past is the singing of bluesman Eric Bibb, which brings Malian blues closer than ever to the Mississippi Delta. This is a tranquil, gentle album – and that even applies to Mamadou Koné’s percussion accompaniment. Close your eyes, listen to the sweet notes of the guitars and the warm voices of the singers, and prepare to dream of an imaginary country where the Mississippi and the Niger converge to create the transatlantic blues.

20/11, 20.30, €28,50, Centre Culturel d’Auderghem