CD Review: The Toure-Raichel Collective's 'The Paris Sessions'

The Toure-Raichel Collective
The Paris Sessions
Cumbancha

As a follow-up to their 2012 The Tel Aviv Sessions, The Paris Sessions continues to bridge the musical worlds of Israel and Mali together. The collective is Vieux Farka Toure and Idan Raichel. Vieux Farka Toure is the son of the late-Ali Farka Toure, and one of Ali's best guitar jams, "Diaraby," is included. Most of the songs are instrumental jams that are jazz and African-influenced. The collective is joined by musicians, Niv Toar, Daby Toure, Abdourhamane Salaha, Seckouba Diabate, Eyal Sela, and Dialimory Sissoko. The piano adds a plaintive touch to the music, which is not necessarily a bad thing. The vocals are not too showy or overdone. In fact, the entire production is quite poignant, mature, and timeless. The music was recorded in France over Mali, due to the societal/political instability. At any rate, the result is a fantastic overview of Israeli and Malian tunes coming together in a sort of fusion that works. ~ Matthew Forss