The supernal singer Salif Keita, groundbreaking guitarists Kanté Manfila, Ousmane Kouyaté and Amadou Bagayoko (now famous as half of Amadou & Mariam), saxophonist Moussa Sissoko, organist Idrissa Soumaoro, and the extraordinary bala-xylophonist and fiddler Keletigui Diabaté - they (and as many others) were all in the great West African band called Les Ambassadeurs.
This new Sterns Music 2-CD album includes 18 recordings made by Les Ambassadeurs in Bamako between 1975 and 1977 (before politics compelled them to relocate to Abidjan, Ivory Coast, where they became known as Les Ambassadeurs Internationaux). Most of these tracks have never previously been reissued on CD, and two of them - Radio Mali live recordings - have never been released until now. All have been especially mastered for this album. The album booklet contains illuminating notes, rare photographs, and reproductions of LP covers.
