There are often bomb attacks happening,” says Aliou. “When the situation is anarchic like that, there are people who will use that situation, and stop the bus at night in the middle of nowhere, take money from people… Things like that happen every single day.” Finding themselves in a strange city – one of the world’s fastest growing – the trio of musicians gravitated to Domino, a bar for people of the Songhoy ethnic group. There, they began playing music together in 2013 with young drummer Nathanael Dembélé. From the start, they were musically unique in Mali – playing a mix of Western heavy rock, funk, Malian desert blues and African R&B. The beginning of Songhoy. (Uncut, December 2020)
So much of “Backwater Blues” is anything but country, yet at its heart, it’s as traditionally country as it gets. The drone and bells starting things off are a million miles away from the roots of the genre, yet the song’s vibe is pure country even when the guitar of Vieux Farka Touré adds tonal qualities that are distinctly African. That is to Joachim Cooder’s credit. Rather than being wedded to tradition, he’s more than willing to transform moments to add to the magic. (Spectrum Culture)
Erste Stunde: Songhoy / Paradise Cinema / Joachim Cooder / Nat Birchall meets Al Breadwinner / Shabaka & the Ancestors / Afel Bocoum / Anja Lechner & Francois Couturier
Zweite Stunde: Schlochtermeier / Bill Callahan / Belbury Poly / Hal Wilner & Marc Bolan / Schlochtermeier again / The Flaming Lips / Sankt Otten / Terje Rypdal (2020)
Dritte Stunde: „Terje Rypdal in den Siebziger Jahren“, incl the ECM-albums „What Comes After“, „Whenever I Seem To Be Far Away“, „Odyssey“, „After The Rain“ und „Waves“, and a road story of Steve Tibbetts in regards to Terje Rypdal‘s „Odyssey“
Vierte Stunde: Suzanne Ciani / Two poems by Will Burns, from his book „Country Music“, translated by Lajla and Martina / Bobbie Gentry / Steve Tibbetts / Van Dyke Parks & Brian Wilson / Jason Molina / Suzanne Ciani (again)
Fünfte Stunde: Brian Eno & Jah Wobble (1995) / Miles Davis („The Lost Septet“, 1971)