Ali Farka Touré: 1939-2006

I was saddened to read of the passing of Ali Farka Touré. The Malian was one of Africa's best and most famous musicians. He won a Grammy for his album Talking Timbuktu, which he made with Ry Cooder. But his albums Niafunké and Radio Mali were even better, in my opinion, if less well-known. One of the reasons I loved his sound was that while the music of many other African artists popular in the west is overproduced, Ali Farka Touré's music was very simple and organic. The greatest complement I can pay his music is that whenever I heard it, I was instantly transported back to my small West African village.

He had been recently named mayor of his home village Niafunké. It's worth noting that despite international reknown, he chose to remain in the dusty and generally unpleasant Sahel rather than moving to New York or Paris. While there, he tried to use his fame to improve the lives of his fellow villagers. He was also active in supporting young, up and coming Malian musicians.

His music is truly a joy to listen to.


Note: A humorous anecdote. A few years ago, my sister and her boyfriend were over. I had Talking Timbuktu (which Farka Touré recorded with Ry Cooder) in my CD player. My sister's boyfriend saw the album cover and asked, "Who's that guy with Ry Cooder?" I laughed and said, "That's funny because when I first saw the cover, I wondered who was that guy with Ali Farka Touré." We both chuckled.