Amadou and Miriam : What's their deal?

They are the kinds of rock stars who wear their sunglasses everywhere, onstage and off. If you arrange to meet them at 4 o'clock in the afternoon in a Midtown hotel, they will be wearing sunglasses there, too.

Like many canny celebrities, Amadou Bagayoko and Mariam Doumbia - famous throughout West Africa and lately a fixture on the French pop charts - have found a way to capitalize on their sense of style: They have a deal with Alain Mikli, the French designer of glasses, and wear a sleek, aluminum model of his.

But their fashion isn't simply fashion: for many years, the duo now known as Amadou & Mariam were famous throughout West Africa simply as the Blind Couple From Mali.

On Aug. 2, Nonesuch Records issued an American version of "Dimanche à Bamako," the duo's lovely, fizzy collaboration with the mischievous European producer Manu Chao, which has already been discovered by a surprising number of European listeners: the French have bought more than 100,000 copies alone.

Now American listeners have a chance to hear one of the year's most unexpected rock 'n' roll success stories: a nimble, playful CD that nods toward everything from indie-rock to dance music.

This week the duo made a rare promotional trip to the United States, which ended with a pair of rapturously received concerts at Joe's Pub on Tuesday night. Sometime after 1 a.m. on Wednesday, they began the final encore with "La Réalité," an exuberant Afro-disco track that gives Mr. Bagayoko space to wind his guitar lines around a refrain borrowed from the eccentric reggae producer Lee Perry; from the noise in the crowd, even the two singers onstage must have known that people were dancing. (The duo plans to return to New York next month, for the CMJ Music Marathon.)

Growing up, Mr. Bagayoko, 50, and Ms. Doumbia, 47, feasted on imports. They heard soul and funk and lots of French music, but what seemed to make the biggest impression were blues and rock, some of which they'd get from friends who visited Europe. Comfortably sunglassed in his Midtown hotel, Mr. Bagayoko switched from the French he speaks (and sings in) to rattle off the names: "John Lee Hooker, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd." Ms. Doumbia jumped in: "Jimi Hendrix."

In a sense, the duo's music is a celebration of a kind of musical exchange that has swiftly - and, perhaps, happily - become obsolete. These days, a young fan in Mali doesn't have to import Led Zeppelin records from overseas. The country's musicians produce plenty of their own CD's, and thanks to a younger generation of listeners and musicians, Mali now has one of Africa's richest hip-hop scenes. "They listen to much less rock 'n' roll," Mr. Bagayoko said with a rueful smile.

Mr. Bagayoko started playing guitar in the 1960's, and in 1974 he joined Les Ambassadeurs du Motel, one of the country's most popular groups - its ranks included another leading musician, Salif Keita - which played a wide range of genres.

Oddly enough, though, what drew Mr. Bagayoko to rock 'n' roll was a sense of cultural pride: both he and Ms. Doumbia are proud of their Bambara ethnicity, and they say that traditional Bambara music is much closer to the blues than it is to other kinds of West African pop.

In the 1980's, the duo resettled in Abidjan, in the Ivory Coast, and began releasing a series of cassettes and then a series of CD's, while developing their graceful but surprisingly muscular style: a chanted refrain might give way to a chugging guitar riff; a percussionist pounding a djembe might be joined by one of Mr. Bagayoko's serpentine solos.

By the time the group released "Wati" (Universal France), in 2002, Mr. Chao was hooked, and when he asked to work with the duo, they agreed, although not without trepidation about the more chaotic sound that he helped them achieve. "We had a feeling it would be a success in France and Europe," Mr. Bagayoko said. "But we were worried that it would be too strong for Africans. So it was a pleasant surprise when people in Mali liked it, too."

Amadou & Mariam often write simple lyrics full of general - even vague - pleas for peace and harmony, though the music turns these familiar themes into giddy daydreams. It would seem that Mr. Chao nudged the duo toward something slightly quirkier: he helped write and sing the impressionistic lyrics of songs like "Sénégal Fast-Food" and "Camions Sauvage," a light-hearted tirade against dangerous truck drivers.

The two are clearly happy with "Dimanche à Bamako," and with the success it has brought them, which did not come by accident. In Bamako as elsewhere, pop stars tend to be hustlers, too, and with Amadou & Mariam, you get the appealing sense that they've figured out clever ways to acknowledge all their different audiences at once.

Their previous album, "Wati," included "Ilbiwan," a grand and seemingly deeply felt tribute to the Moors of northern Mali. Mr. Bagayoko said it goes down especially well at certain concerts. "When we play that song," he explained, "the Moors stand, they dance." He smiled slyly, and Ms. Doumbia smiled, too. "And they give us money."

Ah. Mightn't it be time, then, for a similar song about the proud - and, let's hope, generous - people of America?

Ms. Doumbia chuckled. "It's coming soon," she said.

* Copyright 2005 The New York Times Company

Here's a couple tracks:

http://s38.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=1OYGJXBXNIJY10GF09104Y4WFS

This one's maybe got the most Manu Chao on it:

http://s41.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=11BZ09A4N6KAK369Y1XLCHPNNC

And this is, I guess, the big European hit from the last album:

http://s44.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=01UNHTJ4P9WPS0G6A8MWU9QXWS

More like Peters and Peters.

It's really simple, hypnotic, feelgood music that, as a bunch of snotty house DJs/producers huddled together in a corner of the room, we hugely enjoyed live. Good introduction to African vibes in music for the general public too.

Thanks very Much

they've def. generated a lot more buzz than in the past

anyone heard the earlier records? any recommendations on one to get that's not the 'best of'?

here, you mean? i really love the sound of this. with so much going on in a lot of the songs, everything gets to shine through. i haven't listened to his solo stuff in years, so i can't compare it, though.

Alex, these people are just the French equivalent of Berkeley granola -type people, the sort of people you usually proclaim to be "assholes".

Not that this is a valid reason for not enjoying Manu Chao's music, just a bit of anecdotal detail...

This is album is among the most well-produced things I've ever heard.

is

Where's the love for the new album? Damon's produced Sabali is a gem.

I just read Erin M. rave about it on her blog. It's an overpriced import for Americans from Amazon, wonder where else I can get it.

Here they are recently with Johnny Marr--

wow thanks

Yeah "Sabali" is indeed fantastic, reminds me of music I love without pointing to any specific direction.

this sounds awesome but i am not really loving it

Why is that? Her voice

It sounds a bit rougher in that video than usually

Maybe Hoos will LOVE this--"Sabali" has electronic programming

"Sabali" isn't particularly representative of the rest of the album, though. (Which has taken a few plays to break through the "here we go again" feeling engendered by over-playing its predecessor, but I'm starting to get there now...)

Yeah, I love dthe previous one but I'm not really sure I wanna check out the new one

Definitely worth checking out, I'd say. But be prepared for posiible initial weariness/wariness...

WOW - it seems they've been invited to perform at Obama's inauguration!!

link?

En français pour toi Michel:

http://next.liberation.fr/article/barack-obama-invite-amadou-et-mariam

ok seriously what is holding up US release of the new one

what is the problem

admittedly it's a grower, at first it just seemed too redux with only two standout tracks but those tracks were so over the top outstanding I kept going back to the whole thing and all reservations were liquidated -- it's not redux at all, if anything they worked even more in there this time

Amadou & Mariam’s new album, Welcome to Mali, will be released in the US this March Talk to their US label Nonesuch. Nonesuch just released Rokia Traore's in the US even though it came out last year overseas.

It's on iTunes. Change your settings from the US (to UK or Canada) maybe?

For me it was a slow burner... but it turns out Welcome to Mali is a great record. It's surprising ILM didn't give a damn about it.

Agreed. Initial impression was "Pfft, we've heard all this before" - but I think that was a hangover from having played Dimanche A Bamako to death and beyond. I love the last track (as listed on the sleeve, not the hidden bonus track).

Rokia Traore's album also great.

This American is still waiting for A & M's March release here. Rokia's in the US on tour now. May go see here next week and need to get the new disc now that it's finally out here

Cd finally coming out in the US Tuesday March 24. Big New York Times profile in Sunday March 22nd paper.

I really like the cd. They're on tour in the US now. Did Boston the other night and New York tonight. Plus they're on the Jimmy Fallon tv show at 12:35 am or something. Coming to the Birchmere outside DC Wednesday.

http://www.expressnightout.com/content/2009/06/amadou_and_mariam.php World peace via Amadou & mariam says Christopehr Porter, or something like that.

Great one and a half live show at the Birchmere, outside Washington DC last night. A very good percussionist, 2 energetic women dancers/background singers, keyboard, trap drums, and bass plus A & M. Amadou's guitar playing nicely captures Malian styles and psychedelic rock

One and a half hour. Mariam's voice is impressive too

They're also doing arena shows opening for Coldplay. I wonder what their audience thinks?

They're also doing arena shows opening for Coldplay. I wonder what their audience thinks?

Time to buy a hot dog.

holy shit I had never heard this sabali song b4! looked them up on youtube just because they were so awesome when I saw them at a festival this summer and i was feelin lonely 4 the friends i saw them with

Dimache a Bamako is the shit

Yes it is.

Beautiful.

Yep

Just put it on a few weeks ago for a friend who'd never heard it. Don't actually know what he thought of it, but I loved the hell out of it.

New album is out!

In case you forgot, here's "Dougo Badia" (feat. Nick Zinner & Santigold)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EfJ-EmoQil8

Seen mixed reviews of it, but have not heard it yet myself (well, one song).

NPR is streaming it for a bit

http://www.npr.org/2012/04/01/148919868/first-listen-amadou-and-mariam-folila?ps=mh_fl

And the Pitchfork review was discussed on a Pitchfork thread

i really can't believe dimanche a bamako is 10 years old! that fact is making me feel weird this morning

this is still in my every morning playlist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lH4K-WLpVuo

ok....9 years old. still

Back in 2005 dimanche a bamako was my winter commute to work album, played on some horrendous quarter a gig samsung mp3 player that seemed like good kit at the time. I still love this album but have given up trying work out where the fuck the last decade has gone.

I couldn't pick a fave because the album is jam-packed, but this ruled.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kp9cmTNaMw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SJR81-JIwA&list=PLdqZQPNShYrBYt2KnjACUMjDdSg6gzzvV&index=2
I love this!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SJR81-JIwA

RIP Amadou

https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20250404-amadou-of-malian-blind-music-duo-amadou-mariam-dies-aged-70

They were so good.

This is very sad news

Noooo.

Too young. Blind at 16, overnight star at 50 and now gone. Poor Mariam. The 2 of them always looked so sweet together onstage