The Mali Latino project has been a six-year labour of love for the award-winning pianist and composer Alex Wilson, starting as a residency and a commission from Aldeburgh Music. Alex teamed up with Malian master kora player Madou Sidiki Diabaté (brother to Toumani) and the multi-instrumentalist Ahmed Fofana to try and create a fresh and vibrant synthesis that drew meaningful connections between the two main musical traditions represented: West African Mandé and Afro-Cuba. Without a doubt the three band leaders have succeeded in creating an album that not only fuses the musical traditions of Mali with those of Latin America but makes the whole lot incorporate jazz, blues, funk and classical without losing a jot of integrity.
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