W♥M (Archive)

R.I.P. Khaira Arby

Read More Khaira Arby Khaira Arby and Her Band came on stage dressed in traditional loose-fitting Mali garb with head covering. Even before Arby came on stage, the sound check was pretty awesome, so everyone knew we were in for a treat ..…

“The Nightingale of Timbuktu” Khaira Arby has died at the age of 59, as confirmed by her family.

japantimes.co.jp wrote “One of a generation of legendary musicians from the ancient northwestern Malian city, Arby became a major voice for peace in her troubled country.”

We saw the Malian singer in July 2011 and said, “So, the first thing that hits you when Khaira Arby sings is that she has an amazing voice. It's loud and it's powerful. Singing style, for some reason, I found it to sound very similar to Indian (East Asia), but sung in French and Bambara.”

Below are more recent deaths - for the full death list: Musicians who died in 2018.

August (41)

[21 Aug 2018] Spencer P. Jones (New Zealand singer and guitarist for The Johnnys), 61, liver cancer

[20 Aug 2018] Eddie Willis (American studio guitarist for The Funk Brothers), 82, complications from poliomyelitis

[19 Aug 2018] Khaira Arby (Malian singer), 59

[19 Aug 2018] Deivison Kellrs (Brazilian singer), 30, liver cancer

[19 Aug 2018] DJ Loutka (Czech DJ), 51, suicide by hanging

[17 Aug 2018] Claudio Lolli (Italian singer-songwriter), 68, cancer

[17 Aug 2018] Sahar Taha (Iraqi-born Lebanese musician and journalist), 61

[16 Aug 2018] Aretha Franklin (American soul singer, pianist and songwriter), 76, pancreatic cancer

[16 Aug 2018] Count Prince Miller (Jamaican-born British singer and actor), 83, cancer

[16 Aug 2018] Benny Andersen (Danish author, poet and pianist), 88

[15 Aug 2018] Marie-Françoise Bucquet (French pianist and teacher), 80

[15 Aug 2018] Queeneth Ndaba (South African jazz singer and manager for Dorkay House), 82

[14 Aug 2018] Jill Janus (American rock singer for Huntress), 42, suicide

[14 Aug 2018] Valentina Levko (Russian opera and chamber singer), 92

[14 Aug 2018] Teo Maiste (Estonian opera singer), 86

[14 Aug 2018] Randy Rampage (Canadian thrash metal singer and bassist for D.O.A.), 58, heart attack

[14 Aug 2018] Alberto Tosca (Cuban singer-songwriter and guitarist), 63

[11 Aug 2018] Blue Miller (American musician), 66

[10 Aug 2018] Donnie Robichaud (Canadian bassist), 42, shot

[10 Aug 2018] Scepaz (Australian hip-hop artist), 30, homicide

[09 Aug 2018] Arthur Davies (Welsh opera singer), 77

[08 Aug 2018] Linda Mkhize (South African rapper and DJ), 37, seizure

[07 Aug 2018] Carlos Almenar Otero (Venezuelan singer and songwriter), 92

[07 Aug 2018] Vicki Archer (British radio DJ for BBC Radio Shropshire), 41

[07 Aug 2018] Étienne Chicot (French actor and composer), 69

[07 Aug 2018] Dumitru Fărcaș (Romanian tárogató player), 80

[07 Aug 2018] Guilherme Lamounier (Brazilian singer-songwriter, composer), 67, pneumonia

[05 Aug 2018] Dan Uhrich (American tuba musician), 42

[05 Aug 2018] Majid Al-Majid (Saudi folk singer), 52, shot

[05 Aug 2018] Navid Izadi (American DJ and hip hop artist), 32, plane crash

[05 Aug 2018] Ellen Joyce Loo (Canadian-born Hong Kong singer for at17), 32, fall

[04 Aug 2018] Lorrie Collins (American rockabilly singer for The Collins Kids), 76

[04 Aug 2018] Anar Nagilbaz (Azerbaijani rapper, songwriter and actor), 44, internal hemorrhage

[03 Aug 2018] Bradley Daymond (Canadian dance musician for Love Inc.), 48, cardiac arrest

[03 Aug 2018] Tommy Peoples ( Irish fiddler for The Bothy Band), 70

[02 Aug 2018] Neil Argo (American composer for Mission: Impossible), 71, heart failure

[01 Aug 2018] Gaqo Çako (Albanian opera singer), 83

[01 Aug 2018] Hasanaga Sadigov (Azerbaijani ashik musician), 67, cancer

[01 Aug 2018] Jan Kirsznik (Polish rock and roll saxophonist), 84

[01 Aug 2018] Celeste Rodrigues (Portuguese fado singer), 95

[01 Aug 2018] Umbayee (Indian ghazal singer), 66, cancer

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Brothers from Mali: Habib Koité/Eric Bibb and Ballaké Sissoko/Vincent Segal

Read More Habib Koite and Eric Bibb Imagine this: American Eric Bibb and Mali's biggest pop star Habib Koité teams up to play the most interest traditional and contemporary blues...… Ballaké Sissoko and Vincent Segal What I can tell you about this duo is that Ballaké Sissoko is known for his kora-playing skills and that Vincent Segal is the one with the cello....…

In the last week, I have enjoyed two different shows in which one of the main performers was from the West African country of Mali. The first was Habib Koité and Eric Bibb at the Dakota Jazz Club on February 26th. The second was Ballake Sissoko and Vincent Segal at the Cedar Cultural Center on March 8th. Both shows had an intimate feel with an older audience, incredible sound quality, and artists that did not fail to show their depth, passion, and joy.

Brothers in Bamako Habib Koité and Eric Bibb are two guitar playing soulful, passionate, and spiritual artists who create beautiful music together. Koite’s guitar style is drawn from his Malian ancestry, as well as rock and folk sounds. Bibb has a deep, soulful, blues voice and while their styles are different, they meld perfectly together. The concert was relaxed and intimate with a lot of story telling which gave the audience a view into how the songs of the artists come to life through experience. They were clearly enjoying their time on stage, dancing, joking, and jamming together throughout the performance.

Ballaké Sissoko and Vincent Segal were touring for their second album together At Peace. Sissoko plays the Kora; a 21-string bridge harp instrument used extensively in West Africa and Segal is a French cellist. As I listened to the music they made together, I was moved, awe-inspired, and grateful to be hearing them play live. It was a pure joy because it’s in the live listening of them that the music truly moves and really comes alive. In both of these shows, I loved feeling immersed in a new type of music from a different culture. It was pure joy.

Ballaké Sissoko and Vincent Segal at the Cedar Cultural Center, Minneapolis (03/09/13)

audrey ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ ericbibb.com ♥ sixdegreesrecords.com

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