N’Diarabi – Mory Kanté, 1982

Mory Kanté‘s first album, or almost. In fact, the ‘real’ first album, released in 1981, is hard to find. Recorded in Los Angeles on the Ebony label, it featured more or less the same programme and was released under the name Courougnègnè. The following year saw the release of N’diarabi, featuring more or less the same tracks, with Mory Kanté assisted on keyboards by Guadeloupean pianist Roland Louis. Here we find the beginnings of the African/Western fusion that would make him such a success a few years later with Yéké Yéké. Our thoughts are with these two great artists, both of whom passed away quite recently.