Neba Solo & Benego Diatiké - A Djinn and a Hunter Went Walking (2 CDs)

Malian balafon player Neba Solo and donso n’goni player Benego Diakité’s A Djinn and a Hunter Went Walking—the first in a series of new releases in collaboration with longtime Nonesuch partner Nick Gold, former head of World Circuit Records—features the leading players of their traditional instruments: the marimba-like balafon, or bala, and donso n’goni, a hunter’s harp. On the album, co-produced by Gold, Ousmane Haïdara, and Sonny Johns, the acoustic instrumentals are complemented by vocals and percussion as well as touches of mellotron, guitar, and strings.

The CD version includes a second disc of their original duo performances, unadorned, recorded in a Bamako garden under a mango tree. They started after the sun went down, and crickets can be heard chirping during the quiet moments.

Disc 1: “A Djinn and a Hunter Went Walking”
01-01. Djinê Mogo Tiki (5:28)
01-02. Seko (4:22)
01-03. Maa Kery (4:44)
01-04. Yeredon Bali (5:12)
01-05. Seko (interlude) (0:51)
01-06. Hakilimaya (4:53)
01-07. Kodonaw (4:28)
01-08. Ba Ngolo (4:08)
01-09. Nania Ba (4:50)
01-10. Dankoro Ba (2:11)

Disc 2: “A Djinn and a Hunter Went Walking (Garden Demos)”
02-01. Ba Ngolo (Garden Demo) (5:22)
02-02. Seko (Garden Demo) (5:07)
02-03. Hakilimaya (Garden Demo) (5:21)
02-04. Djinê Mogo Tiki (Garden Demo) (5:32)
02-05. Maa Kery (Garden Demo) (5:00)
​​​​​​​02-06. Ba Ngolo (Balafon Solo) (5:19)