Djelimady Tounkara

Following the success of the first album under his name, "Sigui ", realesead by Label Bleu in 2001 and garanted the BBC World Music Awards for African music in 2002, Djélimady Tounkara is back with "Solon Kôno ", marking a new step in the career of this great Malian guitarist.

For years the bandleader and soloist of the most prestigious Mandingo rock group, namely Bamako's Super Rail Band, he has also developped a personal career on the side. Favouring more acoustic and melodic music, he has gathered together some of Bamako's best young talent and come up with a new band which highlights his skills as a guitarist and his exceptional gift as a composer and arranger. Recorded at Bamako's Studio Bogolan during an intense week rich in emotion, this album has allowed Djélimady Tounkara to expand his range of musical colours. Made confident by his long experience and his recent musical encounters (notably with some great figures of Mandingo music for the album "Mandekalou", and with the American guitarist Bill Frisell),

Djélimady has given free reign to his improvisational talent on acoustic guitar (as well as on electric guitar on two pieces) in a subtle and elegant fashion. A faithful guardian of tradition, he has managed to modernise it without betrayal, endowing it with a universal tone and character. "Solon Kôno" is an album by a great, inspired guitarist, and it marks a new stage in the rich and varied history of Malian music.