Liam O Maonlai News

Liam O Maonlai has just updated his site where he lets us know that he too is now spending too much of his life on MySpace. That's social networks for you, and the contagiousness of music.

Mostly Liam is raphsodizing about the amazing Tioumani Diabate, the famous Mali kora player:

Toumani Diabate is coming to Dublin soon. He is one of heavens gifts. I was given a CD of his Kora playing about four years ago by the great Steve Cooney. It is like woven gold and water. He and his protege play kora for the duration of the album. Very simple. No tricks no accompanyment. The Kora does it all.

I have been listening to Tioumani Diabate for twenty years now - it is utterly gorgeous stuff. I'm a little surprised that Liam doesn't mention the very recent sad passing of the other giant of traditional Mali music, Ali Farka Toure.

As you may know from earlier Irish KC posts on O Maonlai, Liam is a great enthusiast of Africa, and talking about Bamako, the city where Toumani Diabate lives this is evident - especially in how he descibes the social aspect of tea-drinking, a subject dear to my own heart:

You can drink a cup of locally brewed tea at any corner as long as you are willing to spend the time. Three cups is a full cycle. A good two hours of company

Go read. I wonder if Liam will feel the same about Kansas City?

See Also
    • Liam at WOMAD Festival in Spain
    • Hothouse Flowers at the Tivoli (incl. Interview
    • Hothouse Flowers in New Zealand & ALT