The Fifth Case of the African Desert Passage

Happy New Year to one and all... 

This week my mind turns to another 'new year' milestone:  XRAY FM is approaching our first year anniversary, a HUGE thanks to everyone who has helped make this possible.

As close listeners to my show may have noted, part of my goal for the first year of Encyclopedia Sound broadcasting has been to avoid repeating tracks... you've all heard multiple versions of many songs, but never a repeat of the same version by the same artist. Now, as we wind down our first year, I am pulling together collections of some tracks that have not yet found a home in an episode. 

This week we return to the African Folk theme for a fifth Desert Passage. My previous shows in this vein have typically involved a heavy dose of current artists; today's African Folk revival movement gives me a rare chance to showcase music that is happening right now. But today I have prepared a playlist of entirely vintage material from Burkina Fasso, Guinea, Ivory Coast, and above all Mali.

The first hour today is driven by the voice of Mali, Ali Farka Toure. I have lined up vintage Farka material to follow each mic break in the first set. The second hour today expands from a folksy sound to the full might of the great state orchestras in the Golden Age of the 1970s. This is some of the most collectable music in all of Africa.