Corey Harris Mississippi to Mali
]Label: Rounder Select
Released: 2003
Format: Mp3@320 CBR



While the relationship between American blues and its West African cousin has been an obsession of many blues enthusiasts ever since Ry Cooder teamed up with Ali Farka Toure on 1994's Talking Timbuktu, few records have explored the connection with the nuance and ingenuity of Corey Harris's Mississippi To Mali. Conceptualized when Harris participated in the 2003 Martin Scorcese documentary, The Blues, the album uniquely synthesizes elements of delta and desert blues. Featuring guests such as the abovementioned Toure, drum and fife prodigy Sharde Thomas, and harmonica legend Bobby Rush, Mississippi To Mali features Harris's original compositions next to African traditional songs and Skip James classics. With each tradition informing the other in new ways, Harris has crafted a beautiful and souful acoustic blues tableau that moves the genre forward by looking back.




Tracklist:
1 Coahoma 1:49
2 Big Road Blues 3:06
3 Special Rider Blues 4:54
4 Tamalah 6:41
5 Back Atcha 3:28
6 Rokie 3:46
7 La Chanson Des Bozos 4:21
8 Mr. Turner 4:44
9Cypress Grove3:02
10 Station Blues2:41
11 .44 Blues 7:28
12 Njarka 3:57

Recorded between March 2002 & September 2003.



Personnel:
Corey Harris (vocals, guitar, background vocals)
Ali Magassa (vocals, guitar, background vocals)
Ali Farka Touré (vocals, guitar)
Shardé Thomas (vocals, fife)
Otha Andre Evans (vocals, bass drum)
Bobby Rush (harmonica)
Aubrey Turner (drums, bass drum)
Sam Carr (drums)
R.L. Boyce (snare drum)
Darrell Rose (djembe, sabar, percussion)
Souleyman Kane (percussion, background vocals).