Some American

Song Of The Day: Bassekou Kouyaté & Ngoni Baa - “Musow”

African music influences are currently prevalent in a lot of American indie music , which has the added bonus of exposing us in the Western Hemisphere to some of that continent’s finest musicians. One of whom is Bassekou Kouyaté. Hailing from Mali and a family steeped in a rich musical tradition, his instrument is the ngoni, a distant relative of the banjo. Having collaborated in the past with artists like Toumani Diabeté, the legendary Ali Farka Touré, Bonnie Raitt, and inevitably U2, Kouyaté and his band released their debut album, Segu Blue, in 2007 on Out Here Records.

They are now back with a follow-up, I Speak Fula, due in February on, of all places, Sub Pop, though it is already available digitally on iTunes. This song “Musow” is hopefully an indicator of the what the album holds in store. Kouyaté and the three other ngoni players in the band, all family members, weave intricate layers of notes, some delicate, some bluesy, and the rhythm of their playing is complex and alluring. The influences of American music on Kouyaté peaks through in the regular palm muted notes that lend the song its fluid momentum, while his wife Amy Sacko coos with her smoky voice, occasionally letting out an aching wail that could pierce any language barrier. “World music” it may be, but you don’t have to be an asshole with designer frames and obscure culinary tastes to find yourself enthralled by this amazing song.