The Touré-Raichel Collective
The Tel Aviv Session
Tel Aviv, Israel and Bamako, Mail
(Cumbancha)
“Inspired collision of world music powerhouses”
Opening up The Tel Aviv Session, it was painstakingly difficult not to get lost in the mesmerizing guitar picking and picturesque imagery of gypsy beggars playing flamenco music on a lone boat in the quiet blue sea. The geographic influences of these world music heavyweights, Idan Raichel and Vieux Farka Touré (Tel Aviv and Mali, respectively), are prevalent and oozing like sweet honey from this eleven-track album. Bassist Yossi Fine and calabash player Souleymane Kane met at a German airport and have now joined this inspiring collaboration known as The Touré-Raichel Collective. Their debut album, The Tel Aviv Session, is an exciting introduction that promises greater things from the duo.
What’s perfect about The Tel Aviv Session is that it’s an album for any moment. The opening track “Azawade” could be a sexually charged soundtrack for a candlelit night with your exhausted lover, or the background music in a smoky, golden hookah bar – the guitar harmonizing with the water pipe’s bubbling. However, the following tracks “Bamba” and “Experience” conjure up outdoor sensations and portraits of wayfarers embarking on a long, oceanic adventure. Rich and cleanly produced, this collective of international musicians has created a gem: a gorgeous album that can easily transport its listeners to the farthest reaches of the globe.
Produced by Idan Raichel
Mixed by Idan Raichel and Lane Gibson
Mastered by John Davis at Metropolis Studios London