African Pearls 3: Mali: One Day on Radio Mali

2006 release. Syllart Productions releases the third volume in their African Pearls series of compilations - a diverse and rich 2CD collection of songs from Mali circa 1965-1985. Assembled by Ibrahima Sylla, a prolific producer of West African music, fêted by Charlie Gillett as "The African Phil Spector." This collection of pearls covers the period 1965-1985 - much of these tracks made long before the coining of the term "World Music," and preceding by over a decade the real discovery by Western audiences of the "Mali sound" and the desert blues phenomenon. This great set goes to show that none of this is really new; that the sound was fermenting decades ago, and that the message was already strong - it's just that the voice did not carry far enough first time round. Includes a 24-page booklet with full-color photos and notes in English and French.