Tiken Jah Fakoly - Live Salle Pleyel (Chapter Two Records/Wagram)

As the title suggests, the recording took place at Salle Pleyel, a renowned French venue traditionally associated with classical music.

Musically, this album continues the path Tiken began exploring on his most recent studio release ‘Acoustic’. That means a spotlight on traditional Malian instruments like the balafon, kora, ngoni and tama, with less emphasis on the classic reggae backbone of bass and drums.

Standout moments include the nearly nine-minute rendition of ‘Ouvrez Les Frontières’ and the epic closer ‘Les Martyrs’, where balafon player Adama Bilorou is given one last chance to pull out all the stops. Through hits like ‘Africain À Paris’, ‘Le Prix Du Paradis’, ‘Tonton D’America’ and the highly topical ‘La Guerre Est Là’, Tiken paints a vivid portrait of 21st-century Africa, a continent still grappling with issues like neo-colonial exploitation, the refugee crisis and ongoing (civil) wars.

Thoroughly enjoyable live recording!

And if you’d like to experience the ‘Live Salle Pleyel’ vibe in person, catch Tiken Jah Fakoly on July 15th at Openluchttheater Rivierenhof!