Ali Farka Touré, Toumani Diabaté - Be Mankan

World Circuit Records have established their reputation by producing some of the finest world music albums of the past two decades, specialising in music from Cuba and West Africa. The label is best known for the GRAMMY winning Buena Vista Social Club album, which is the biggest selling world music album of all time, and led to the phenomenal rise in popularity of Cuban music. 10 years after their historic concert in New York, World Circuit release Buena Vista Social Club At Carnegie Hall.

World Circuit's African artists enjoy equal prestige, including Grammy winning albums from Ali Farka Touré and kora virtuoso Toumani Diabaté, Mali's 'star of stars' Oumou Sangare, afrobeat legend Tony Allen, and the great Orchestra Baobab.

[aristeidislykas]

If a Greek is impressed with a piece of music, then this piece is exceptional.

[ray-oohv]

MON COEUR SAIGNE... Qu Allah accorde al firdaws a papa Toumani et Ali et a mon feu pere et tous nos defunts croyants

[mohamednsangou]

c'est triste d'écouter ces chefs-d'œuvre aujourd'hui... paix à vos âmes

[truthprevails]

I was lying on the shoulders of a free unharnessed horse, the blue sky high and the dust, beautiful dust floating by, the warm Sun caressing every cracks and crevices in my & make my day,

[uokpvkp]

Thank you Accuradio for introducing these men, and World Circuit, to me

[captikus]

'An ancient Mandé song that Toumani and Ali play as a waltz. Toumani says that “the proverb at the centre of the song says something like ‘It’s the blessings that make the tears fall’. It means that if you think of someone you love, of someone in whom you’ve invested your hope, and that person dies, then you’ll cry for sure. Why? Because there was hope. Because that person was dear to you. And tears fall because of the blessings. The song is also a hymn dedicated to Alpha Yaya Diallo, a great warrior from Guinea Conakry. And what’s more, the song is now also the national anthem of Guinea Conakry. The song says that, like the fingers on a hand, people are never equal. Alpha Yaya Diallo was a great man, just like Pele in Football. No one can be equal to him.'
- From an interview with Nick Gold, the producer of this record