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Bako Dagnon Sidiba (Syllart/Discograph) Bako Dagnon is one of Mali's premier Mande musicians, as well as a respected female griot. The West African oral griot tradition of singer/storytellers evolved in the 13th century out of the heartland of the Mali empire, and has since produced many stars, but none quite like Bako Dagnon. She is a singer's singer. Her clear, soaring voice and rolling melodies mirror the savannah landscape where she was born, in the west of Mali. Bako sings with the authority, passion and wisdom born of having learned her craft the old way: not from recordings, as many young singers do nowadays, but at the feet of masters, deep in the countryside.     Listen: Wouya Larana N'Ouhoumba M'Ba Le Guide De La Révolution

More info: Bako may be one of the last griots to live according to the old ways of griotism, though she carries her message for the current age with a knowledge base that ranges from her native Biriko style, to the more lyrical Maninka music from Guinea to the Bambara style from Segou. Her songs sound deceptively simple; yet they are informed by a prodigious knowledge of Mande history and culture, with even Ali Farka Touré often consulting her and Banzoumana Sissoko, "the old lion" inviting her regularly to his house in the 1980s to sing famous old songs like "Janjon." She has the gift of bringing the old stories to life, making them sound utterly contemporary. She is the bridge between the old and the new. On Sidiba, the special character of her voice finds a new expressive freedom, with a subtle production that brings out the best in her voice and music. When Bako says something, you are compelled to listen. Bako Dagnon is one of Mali's premier Mande musicians, as well as a respected female griot. This is the follow-up to her highly-acclaimed international debut 2007's Titati. Ibrahima Sylla is the executive producer, whose Syllart Productions label has been at the heart of many of West Africa's greatest gems over the past three decades. Sylla has once again unearthed a voice that incarnates the best in the continent's musical panorama and ennobled it with the best of acoustic and technical accompaniments. Ali Farka Touré was a great fan of her singing, and often consulted her about Malian history whenever he was in Bamako. Banzoumana Sissoko, "the old lion," invited her regularly to his house in the 1980s to sing famous old songs like "Janjon." For fans of Ali Farka Touré, Bassekou Kouyate, Salif Keita, Oumou Sangaré, etc. "Bako Dagnon could, indeed should, arrive in the pantheon of great West African singers -- at last! For, there are few Malian artists with a finer knowledge of the bottomless well of musical permutations born in this country than this woman from the remote village of N'Golobladji." --Mondomix

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