http://afropopshop.org/New Music From Markus James on Calabash Music2008-10-12T01:54:51ZThe Calabash Music Teamsupport@calabashmusic.comCalabash Blueshttp://markusjames.afropopshop.org/#album_360942006-11-17T07:12:16ZMusic from Calabash BluesFeaturing 7 new tracks, with reworked selections from Nightbird and Timbuktoubab, this recording is "a vital mix of the Mississippi Delta and Mali, a cultural exchange of haunting beauty and mystery" as described by Blues Revue Magazine.]]>Timbuktoubabhttp://markusjames.afropopshop.org/#album_776832006-12-12T07:40:55ZMusic from TimbuktoubabTimbuktoubab is Markus James collaborating with Hamma Sankare, Hassi Sare, and Solo Sidibe on a series of recording done in Mali.

“The magic is not only about the rich, brooding sound textures that he and his musicians craft, simmering grooves and ethereal melodies that elide the worlds of the Mississippi and Niger Rivers. It also extends to lyrics and meaning. Working with Wassoulou legend Coumba Sidibe, James co-writes a song about guardian spirits. Ali Farka Toure heard the song on his deathbed, and was deeply impressed by the depth of its lyrics. “You really have something here,” he told James, rewarding him more richly than any reviewer could.”
—fROOTS Magazine (UK), Jan/Feb 2007
http://www.frootsmag.com/]]>Nightbirdhttp://markusjames.afropopshop.org/#album_16942005-04-12T10:55:32ZMusic from NightbirdMarkus James has taken his bluesy songs and his dusky voice to Mali, where he tracked this album with several outstanding Malian musicians, including Mama Sissoko (guitar), Hamma Sankare (calabash), Hassi Sare (njarka) and Solo Sidibe (kamele n'goni). Wassoulou vocalist Jeneba Diakite and American blues singer Sarah Baker also make their presence felt on several tracks. The resulting recording, 'Nightbird', is easily one of the most conceptually inspired albums to come along in quite some time. The music James created for this CD is as sparse and expansive as Mali itself. He gets a world of feeling from his voice, a guitar, and a one-stringed violin (Sare's njarka). 'Nightbird' is an immediately appealing African blues album.

Songs appearing in the film Timbuktoubab: 'Nightbird' & 'One Drop'

]]>Where You Wanna Behttp://markusjames.afropopshop.org/#album_17182005-04-12T10:55:32ZMusic from Where You Wanna BeOriginal, blues/roots-based songs featuring Mali's Solo Sidibe on kamele n'goni. Afropop Classic: 'Desert Flower'

Song appearing in the film Timbuktoubab: 'Desert Flower']]>Timbuktoubab (pre-release)http://markusjames.afropopshop.org/#album_17422005-04-12T10:55:32ZMusic from Timbuktoubab (pre-release)(Music from the Soundtrack) These new recordings from the film 'Timbuktoubab' are a set of pre-released tracks only available as downloads. Markus James talks about these new songs:

"After 'Nightbird', which was made in a (the) studio down in Bamako, we started meeting up in Timbuktu. Solo and I would travel up there, with Hamma and Hassi coming in from their villages which are in that region. and when we started to play together, it became apparent that this was not going to be like 'Nightbird', it was going to be a group sound, and it was going to have the sound of the adobe walled rooms we were playing in.

"And then Hamma started singing, and the whole dimension of lyric ideas came in. This has been endlessly amazing for me, to find myself playing something like 'Wabissimila' with the great Hamma Sankare, and to realize that we wrote this song together from a simple blues-type riff, and now he's singing some philosophical ideas from his ancient culture (and the Songhai is as far back as it goes, they're thought to be the first people to settle down and build houses, right there in the Niger River delta region). -- Markus James 05/04

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