In the 1970s, Malian guitarist Ali Farka Touré worked as a sound engineer for national Radio Mali and broadcasts of his own performances earned him a formidable local reputation. He sent some recordings to the Sonodisc record company in Paris, resulting in one of the first ever commercial releases of Malian music – a 12″ vinyl album titled Ali Toure ‘Farka’. Between 1975 and 1988 a total of seven albums were released, all titled only with variations on the artist’s name and with no information other than a photo and the song titles. The last two albums released became known as the ‘Red’ and ‘Green’ albums due to the colours of their original album sleeves. In the mid-1980s a few copies of these albums found their way to Anne Hunt of World Circuit Records, prompting her to travel to Mali and broadcast an appeal over the airwaves of Radio Mali to find Ali. As luck would have it Ali was visiting the capital Bamako and he heard the broadcast. Thus began Ali’s hugely successful international career and his long relationship with the World Circuit label.

Digitally remastered from the original tapes, Ali Farka Touré’s ‘Green’ album showcases Ali’s acoustic guitar and vocals, both alone and accompanied by calabash and ngoni (traditional four string guitar). It’s one of many in Ali’s catalogue that demonstrate his continuing importance to African music. A must-have for both fans and collectors alike.