event Baaba Maal
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Sun Apr 11
7:30 pm
Baaba Maal at Cedar Cultural Center
Even in the 20-plus years that Senegalese singer Baaba Maal's been around, it's a tall order to progress from traditional West African music to a sound heavy on modern electronics. For Maal, this isn't a cut-and-dried choice: The meditative Afro-blues of Djam Leelii (an '80s collaboration with Senegalese guitarist Mansour Seck) still linger on Maal's most recent album, 2009's Television (a collaboration with New York's world-tronic-pop collagists Brazilian Girls). The word "eclectic" tends to imply that some elements work at the expense of others, but Maal's incredibly patient command over a melody encourages companionship, not compromise, between traditional warmth and modern polish. Those who prefer the free-floating effect of koras and group vocals will still prefer 2001's Missing You. Still, for all his reach, Maal's never lost his way.
Cedar Cultural Center 416 Cedar Ave. S., Twin Cities, MN
Even in the 20-plus years that Senegalese singer Baaba Maal's been around, it's a tall order to progress from traditional West African music to a sound heavy on modern electronics. For Maal, this isn't a cut-and-dried choice: The meditative Afro-blues of Djam Leelii (an '80s collaboration with Senegalese guitarist Mansour Seck) still linger on Maal's most recent album, 2009's Television (a collaboration with New York's world-tronic-pop collagists Brazilian Girls). The word "eclectic" tends to imply that some elements work at the expense of others, but Maal's incredibly patient command over a melody encourages companionship, not compromise, between traditional warmth and modern polish. Those who prefer the free-floating effect of koras and group vocals will still prefer 2001's Missing You. Still, for all his reach, Maal's never lost his way.
Updated 04/05/2010
