SNAKESKIN VIOLIN - MARKUS JAMES
A handful of American artists have explored the connection between West African music and American blues, but Markus James has lived this connection for the past seven years (and four albums). “Snakeskin Violin” continues his profound world blues passage. Working, as usual, with several Malian players, including Hassi Sare (njarka violin), Mamadou Sidibe (calabash, vocals), Vieux Farka Toure (cadence guitar) and Mama Sissoko (n’goni), James laid down tracks in Mali, California and Mississippi. His songs radiate a dark, nearly forbidding glow, while his sparse, shadowy arrangements cut a groove that draws deeply from the hypnotic vibe of Malian music. “All That You Can’t Keep,” “Exile Tracks” and “I Won’t Let It” are extremely distinctive pieces, driven by a seductive rhythmic circularity that’s a keystone of Malian traditional tunes and Delta blues.
