Inspired by the recent album from Vieux Farka Toure, in partnership with Khruangbin, celebrating his late father Ali Farka Toure, I'm sharing some of my favourite Malian music.
A country deep in the cultural heritage of many deep and diverse natures, Mali has produced some deeply emotive music from a wide range of musicians and musical styles.
I've included many different types of Malian music in this mix for your enjoyment, from the 'Desert Blues' of groups such as Tinariwen, Imarhan and Toumast, to the international [but still very Malian] sound of Salif Keita, Amadou & Miriam. There are iconic women artists such as Fatoumata Diawara and Oumou Sangare, and political commentators and campaigners, such as Anansy Cisse and Seckou Keita.
Music in Mali for the last 10 years, since a coup in 2012, has been difficult, owing to the extreme nature of some aspects of the government. This has led to many musicians leaving for other countries or attempting to go underground in their own country.
Maybe I will get to Mali one day, but in the meantime let the music take us there together.
Full Track listing below:
Music from Mali
Tracks
1 Street Musicians From Bamako on Balafon - Recording From Senegal Mali Project 0:00
2 Vieux Farka Toure & Khruangbin - Tongo Barra 8:23
3 Toumast - Innulamane 13:53
4 Anansy Cisse - Sekou Amadou 18:37
5 Seckou Keita ft Baaba Maal - Homeland 23:46
6 Fatoumata Diawara - Sowa 27:24
7 Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba - Ladon 30:29
8 Afel Bocuum - Alasidi 35:57
9 Salif Keita - Ignadjidje 40:25
10 Imarhan - Ibas Ichikkou 46:09
11 Etran Finatawa - Anadjibo 51:42
12 Rokia Traore - Sara 57:08
13 Mali Musicians inc. Afel Bocuum & Toumani Diabate - Niger 1:03:05
14 Amadou & Miriam - Dans Ce Monde Trouble 1:06:55
15 Miria [Union Malian Des Aveugles] - Farinya Maji 1:11:24
16 Kasse Mady Diabate - Bandja 1:16:44
17 Djelimady Tounkoura - Fanta Bourana 1:21:27
18 Tinariwen - Tenhert [The Doe] 1:27:09
19 Oumou Sangare - Djoloren 1:32:34
20 Vieux Farka Toure - Fafa 1:40:45
21 Toumani Diabate - Cantelowes 1:45:40
22 Ali Farka Toure - Timbindy 1:52:31
Jazz Matters
Jazz Matters is a not-for-profit hobby project that I’m extremely proud of.
It began life in May 2021 as NuDirections, a weekly radio show on a London community station. That spirit of discovery still runs through everything I do.
But today, Jazz Matters has evolved into a global podcast platform for Jazz and World music lovers — reaching over 40,000 open-minded listeners across 57 countries on more than 24 platforms.2025/6 marks a new era. My love of music has always gone beyond Jazz, so I’ve created two distinct but connected spaces here
Jazz Matters: Podcasts, Playlists and Music Videos.
Jazz Lines: Blogs, Interviews, Gallery & Pulse for Who's Shaping the Scene.
I’m also preparing a full digital relaunch from my new studio, from 1st May 2026, then every Jazz Matters podcast, mix, and special will stream exclusively from my website—no third-party platforms and no algorithms. Until then, you can listen here and on 24+ podcast platforms.
Alongside the music, you’ll find in Jazz Lines, my platform for blogs, interviews, gallery, and pulse that links to things that catch my ear and eye. A bold new chapter begins soon. New location. New music player. New studio.
Jazz Matters. Because the music — and everything around it — truly does.
Enjoy the music I love