There was a similarity inmeans, sound and even surnames, and both musicians hail from the Songhaï regionof Northern Mali. The signature blues-inflected guitar and plaintive vocalmelisma of Songhaï folk music carries melodic and repertory characteristicsthat extend from Ibrahim Dicko—Touré’s mentor—to Ali Fakra Touré’s pioneeringwork. Over the course of two recordings—last year’s critically-lauded Koïma and his revelatory debut Sahel Folk—andattention from NPR, SPIN and Pitchfork, among others, Touré’s musical identity has fully come into its own.



On September 17, Touré returns with Alafia, his third international release for Thrill Jockey and his most focusedrecording to date. Touré deals with the strife and political instabilityplaguing his home region using the effortlessly broad musical language he’sinternalized since his youth. Regional styles, including takamba, holley, andabarbarba (the butcher’s dance), along with his longtime interest ininternational music, form the underpinning to Touré’s lyrical ode to hiscountry.



Recorded between two locations—Nantes, Franceand Bamako, Mali—during what has become the most contentious political impassefor Mali since the country’s independence decades ago, Alafia mirrors the dramatic nature of the situation. Mali is a massive,culturally diverse and largely peaceful nation that is still struggling tomaintain order following a Tuareg rebellion in Touré’s home region in the Northlast April. The ensuing chaos that followed led to a coup in the capital,leaving a power vacuum in which Islamic extremists have cast a dark and violentshadow over Northern Mali.



While Touré’s Gao was under control of Islamicgroups, the band recorded in Nantes on the heels of Touré’s first Europeantour. Recording in Bamako took place after the “Sahara Soul” tour withwell-known Malian acts Bassekou Kouyate and Tamikrest, while Northern Mali’sbiggest cities had been liberated. Alafia is marked by these contrasting contexts and the varied mind-frames theyimply. The album’s title, which means “peace,” is a simple word that sums up analbum of thematic complexities—joy, dialogue, reconciliation, multiculturalism,respect and the fight for a better society— and in-depth explorations of theSonghaï folk music from Touré’s beloved home region.



The winner of two Malian national awards forbest singer, Touré led Gao’s regional orchestra, The Songhaï Stars, and, in2011, he released Sahel Folk, his debut album forThrill Jockey and toured North America for the first time. This tour took himto prestigious venues and festivals, including New York’s Lincoln Center,Chicago’s Old Town School of Folk Music and the Chicago World Music Festival.Through Thrill Jockey’s introduction of Touré to new audiences, he is beginningto achieve success and critical acclaim abroad.



Backed by this band of young talentedmusicians, who have joined him on severals tours, he invited friends from theNorth to participate to this album: the singer Leïla Gobbi, the kolo playerBerté Ibrahim, and the rising star guitarist (and Touré disciple) Baba Salah.Touré also opens his music to Malian traditions outside the Songhaï realm withthe n'goni virtuoso Abdoulaye Koné aka Kandiafa and the legendary Fula fluteplayer Cheick Diallo.



Touré and will tour the U.S. this fall withtwice-Grammy-nominated Cedric Watson under the banner of the InternationalBlues Express. He will return for his own headlining tour in Spring 2014. Dateswill be announced shortly.