Building off the artistic and critical fulfillment that was 2012's The Tel Aviv Session, the duo known as the Touré-Raichel Collective continue to make a cultural and music declaration with The Paris Session. Shifting past the "one is Jewish and one is Muslim!" construct, Mali's Vieux Farka Touré and Israeli Idan Raichel reflexively bring their cross-cultural influences to bear with impeccable timing and seamless artistic collaboration. Touré continues the blues-y guitar legacy of late father Ali Farka Touré while Raichel on keys reinforces jazz-pop mastery each time out.
The duo co-wrote 12 of the album's 14 tracks. "Gassi Gabbi" is perhaps best representative of the project's freewheeling musical freedom. The keys-driven cover of his father's Ry Cooder collaboration, "Diaraby," is both reverent and re-interpreted. The short but sweet "L'amour" is reflective of its title. slowed-down number "Allassal Terey" drifts by with a dreamlike flavour and uptempo "Deni Deni" leans hard on African rhythms, leavened by Raichel's electric keys.
In all, The Paris Session is awash in a jazz, blues, world music mix of guitar, keys, trumpet and flute, flowing triumphant by way of the duo's encompassing vision of cultural respect and understanding.
(Cumbancha)The duo co-wrote 12 of the album's 14 tracks. "Gassi Gabbi" is perhaps best representative of the project's freewheeling musical freedom. The keys-driven cover of his father's Ry Cooder collaboration, "Diaraby," is both reverent and re-interpreted. The short but sweet "L'amour" is reflective of its title. slowed-down number "Allassal Terey" drifts by with a dreamlike flavour and uptempo "Deni Deni" leans hard on African rhythms, leavened by Raichel's electric keys.
In all, The Paris Session is awash in a jazz, blues, world music mix of guitar, keys, trumpet and flute, flowing triumphant by way of the duo's encompassing vision of cultural respect and understanding.