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Bassekou Kouyate and Ngoni Ba Segu Blue (Out Here) 2007 release, restocked Major U.S. tour in progress now. Segu Blue introduces the first solo album from Malinese ngoni player, Bassekou Kouyate. Ngoni is the Bambara name for an ancient traditional lute found throughout West Africa that is plucked with the thumb, much like a 5-stringed banjo. Bassekou was born in a village called Garana about 60 kilometers from Segu, in the remote countryside on the banks of the Niger River.

Named 2008 World Music "Album Of The Year" by BBC Radio 3. "...a raw black diamond from Africa!" --Ali Farka Touré "...a genius, a living proof that the blues comes from the region of Segu." --Taj Mahal He was raised in a traditional musical environment, his mother a praise singer and his father and brothers exceptional ngoni players. He moved to Bamako when he was 19 years old where he met the young Toumani Diabate. By the late 1980s, Bassekou was part of Toumani's trio and they recorded their first albums together, Songhai and Djelika. Bassekou has collaborated with many musicians in and outside of Mali. He played in the Symmetric trio with Toumani Diabate on kora and Keletigui Diabate on balafon. He was part of the Kulanjan project recorded with Taj Mahal. He is one of the key musicians on Ali Farka Toure's posthumous album Savane which was released July 2006. Now he has put together his own band: Ngoni Ba; the big ngoni: Mali's first ngoni quartet. The ngoni is one of Africa's still-undiscovered secrets: it is the key instrument for Griot culture. Unlike the kora, whose history goes back only a few hundred years, the ngoni has been the main instrument in Griot storytelling way back into the days of Sundiata Keita. The repertoire Bassekou plays is from the region of Segu, the heart of Bambara culture. Unlike mandenka griot music, Bambara music is pentatonic in nature -- music as close to the blues as you can get in Africa. Segu Blue features artists Kassemady Diabate, Lobi Traore, Lassana Diabate and singer Zoumana Tereta. By the way, there is no kora or djembe on the album. Taj Mahal describes Bassekou as "a genius, a living proof that the blues comes from the region of Segu." Tracks 01. Tabali te 02. Bassekou 03. Jonkoloni 04. Juru nani 05. Mbowdi 06. The River Tune 07. Andra's Song 08. Ngoni fola 09. Banani 10. Bala 11. Segu tonjon 12. Sinsani 13. Lament for Ali Farka 14. Segu Blue

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