Rajery, Ballake Sissoko, Driss El Maloumi - 3 MA

Year: 2008
Style: ethno jazz, kora, afro
Country: 3MA — MAdagascar, MAli and MAroc (Morocco)
Quality: fLAC & mp3
Size: fLAC = 313 MB & mp3 = 130 MB (5% recovery information included)

12th of March 3MA played in Belgrade. Amazing concert! You can watch Belgrade concert encore here. Now besides mp3, fLAC version available. Upload by ras. Enjoy in one of the best albums in 2008.

Tracklist:
Anfass (6:13)
Awal (8:55)
3MA (5:03)
Kouroukanfouga (5:15)
Rania (4:24)
Vro (3:54)
Mainte (3:37)
Toufoula (3:29)
Kadiatou (4:34)
Morengy (3:00)
Taxi Brousse (1:30)
Plus — live in concert (4:13)

Review
Given the choice of listening for the first time to new albums by two unknown artists, one instrumental, the other vocal, I instinctively opt for the one with words. Days or weeks later, finally succumbing to the silent reproach of the still unheard instrumental album, I give it a chance to make its case. Most often, prejudice is reinforced, as virtuosos prove their dexterity without breaking new ground. But every now and then there's a surprise, the discovery of a group of musicians whose aim is not to impress but to connect, both with each other and with the unseen listener. For reasons I can't quite get to the bottom of, the line-up that seems most likely to achieve this balance is a trio without a drummer.

The first drummer-less trio to knock me sideways were the Jimmy Giuffre Trio with 'The Train and The River' back in 1957. Jimmy blew breathy clarinet into a seemingly endless loop of picked guitar and plucked bass notes. Rhythmic, melodic, full of air and space, it became an underground secret that hooked a few of us into believing we were jazz fans for a while, until we discovered that there was nothing else quite like it, in jazz or anywhere else.

This album by three African string-pluckers follows in that tradition, satisfyingly unclassifiable. It has the same sense of musicians listening to each other with ears wide open, taking turns to play the leading melody before dropping back to provide the rhythmic pulse while the others trade phrases. There are a lot of strings attached, but they never compromise each other.

Visually, the three instruments could hardly be more different. The valiha is a simple bamboo pole with 20 strings running its length, usually made from unwound bicycle brake cables. Although it requires great dexterity, the Malagasy musician Rajery set out to become its master despite having had his right hand amputated. He has already made outstanding albums under his own name, and here proves to be a match for Ballaké Sissoko, one of Mali's most respected players of the 21-stringed kora. More elaborate than the valiha, it is still a home-made instrument, with nylon fishing line for strings. By contrast, the 11-string oud is made by professional craftsmen from highly polished wood; the least well-known of the three musicians, the Moroccan Driss El Maloumi is clearly another master.

Among the fascinations is playing the string detective, working out which musician is playing which sound. I've guessed who I think is doing what on each track, but am probably wrong half the time.

The heart of the album runs from 'Kouroukanfouga' to 'Toufoula', offering majestic melodies that soon become familiar. 'Rania' sounds remarkably like that US children's song 'Short'nin' Bread', and 'Toufala' is so authoritative, it feels like it might become the album's equivalent of 'The Train and the River'. --Charlie Gillett, The Observer, Sunday July 13, 2008

Robin Dendelow, The Guardian, 15 August 2008
The title is explained by the geography. Here are three great artists who come from across Africa, from the "3Mas": Madagascar, Mali and Maroc (Morocco). They are all exponents of stringed instruments that played a crucial role in their countries before the arrival of the guitar, and this gently exquisite set explores the links between their styles. Mali's Ballaké Sissoko is the best-known of the three; he ranks alongside his friend Toumani Diabaté as one of the finest kora players in the world. He's joined here by Driss el Maloumi on the north African/Middle Eastern oud, and Rajery, a master of the valiha, which is a tubular zither constructed around a hollowed piece of bamboo and one of the national instruments of Madagascar. There are occasional vocals, such as some cheerful scat from Rajery, and virtuoso solo tracks from all three, including a rhythmic workout from El Maloumi. But what makes this set special are the collaborations and interplay between the musicians, as they switch between lead work and gently sturdy backing, on stately or reflective tracks that echo their backgrounds, from the Sahara to the Indian Ocean.