La grande vedette malienne – Fanta Damba, 1975

🇲🇱 🎤 🪕 🌍 📜 Fanta Damba’s discography ends in 1985, when she decided to retire from the stage. La grande vedette malienne (the great Malian star), as she was known, had produced around ten albums over fifteen years, having started singing at a very young age. Born into a family of griots, she first performed with Mali’s national instrumental ensemble, and her reputation was already immense by the 1960s. In 1975, she recorded this album, accompanied solely by Batourou Sékou Kouyate’s kora, and embarked on a European tour that cemented her international recognition. The record was released by Songhoï Records, with Gilles Sala writing its highly praiseworthy liner notes. The tracks, composed by Damba or drawn from Mali’s collective history, honour the Mandinka tradition, sung in Bambara and elevated by her powerful, luminous voice, which excels in conveying emotions and stories.