BOUBACAR TRAORE


The Album
Kongo Magni

The Label
World Village/Harmonia Mundi

Liner Notes
Pioneering Malian singer-songwriter and guitarist Boubacar Traore's time has arrived, again. In the early '60s, after the country of Mali gained independence from France, Traore was its major pop star. Thanks largely to his "Mali Twist,” he was often called "the Malian Elvis" but Traore was unable to make a living from his music. Boubacar or "Kar Kar," a nickname he picked up from playing soccer when he was young, was in a situation similar to the great Ali Farka Toure, who came after him in his homeland (and who accompanied him on an earlier recording). Although Traore's career enjoyed a bit of a resurgence in the late '80s, he decided to pack it in and move to Paris to work in construction to provide for his children. It was in Paris that his luck finally changed; he was brought to England where he finally recorded his first CD. Two years later, he returned to Mali to settle in the capital, Bamako. The word was out. "Kar Kar" was back, once and for all. More active than he has been in a decade, these days the African bluesman is playing in concerts and on television in Mali and all over Africa. Boubacar is an established international name in music, not only for his own material, but also for his interpretations of traditional songs. The soulful Kong Magni is loaded with accessible melodies and tasty hooks from a musician with plenty of experience in crafting a tune.

The Musicians
Boubacar Traore: vocals, guitar
Keletigui Diabate: balafon 
Vincent Bucher: harmonica
Regis Gizavo: accordian
Yorro Diallo: kamele ngoni
Emile Biayanda: percussion
"Pedro" Kouyate & Bamba Dembele: calabash gourd

Site
www.worldvillagemusic.com

Spins
KCRW Santa Monica-Los Angeles
WDET Detroit
WMFO Medford-Boston
KGNU Boulder-Denver
KUT Austin
WYSO Yellow Springs-Dayton
KXCI Tucson
WCBE Columbus
KUNC Greeley CO
WYCE Grand Rapids
WFHB Bloomington
KRCC Colorado Springs
KDNK Aspen
WSGE Boiling Springs/West Charlotte
KBCS Bellevue-Seattle
KRCL Salt Lake City

Quote
"The legend that is Boubacar Traore continues on his latest CD Kongo Magni. Hypnotic, effortless and powerful. Traore's world is one of beauty and peace, one you want to experience again and again.
—Chuck Horn, AMD, WDET Detroit

Press
"A Living Legend. One of those African statements that pack immense meaning into a few simple words."
—The Boston Globe

Retail
Kongo Magni is now in stores.

Contact
Jennifer Daunt, Dauntless Promotion
Sarah Folger, Harmonia Mundi