Ali Farka Touré was once known as “The Bluesman of Africa.” That is, before he quit the music business to become a rice farmer in Timbuktu. Since then, the noble-born Touré has been elected mayor of his region, coming out of hiding only a few times to record, and somehow winning a Grammy in the process. This time, its a live recording with Toumane Diabate, the second-generation kora (the West African harp/lute) player, who is inimitable on the instrument, sounding like a harpsichord-playing J. S. Bach from the jazz era, except from Mali, and playing a completely different instrument.

The set was recorded live in six hours (though there are unnecessary overdubs by Ry Cooder and Co.), an unbelievable feat in the face of the complexity and beauty of Diabate’s melodies, which are complimented by Touré’s unusually gentle, rain-like guitar. The music is inspired and engaging as the pair maintain an ambient tone, each player responding to the other with understated virtuosity. As the story goes, when John Lee Hooker introduced Touré to the blues, Touré instantly recognized the elements of his folk music in its American derivative. Touré plays the African blues, a more unrestrained blues than Hooker could have imagined, but still based on call-and-response, improvisation and soul. Diabate may be the most vocal player on the album, but soul radiates from Touré, the Mayor of the African Blues.