Roswell Rudd / Toumani Diabate - Malicool

[Squaredancecalling Steve]

Roswell Rudd/ Toumani Diabate -- Malicool
Sunnyside 2003



Athough I very much like both trombonist Roswell Rudd and the wonderful kora (21 string harp) player from Mali, Toumani Diabate, I had trouble imagining how they might mesh in this collaboration. Does Diabate enter Cecil Taylorland? Does Rudd go "in" on this one? Do they discover an new, unsuspected common ground.

Well, in general I suppose you can say that Roswell moves in to meet Diabate, but that would be to absurdly simplify what goes on here. About half the album is based on the traditional music of Mali, and Rudd's improvisations on them are sassy and breezy, with his big bluesy tone providing a great contrast to the shimmering delicacy of the harp. OTOH, when Diabate comes in on the more traditional western tunes like the lovely "All Through The Night" (Rudd is at his most luxuriously lyrical here), it is Diabate's percussive kora which lends the "out" touches to the cut, glass shards on a warm blanket of ballad. There are many surprises and joys throughout the album, dozens of wonderful unexpected details these two master musicians weave into the tunes. The final cut is a romp through Beethoven's "Ode To Joy", with several other quoted themes gliding through, ending the album on an unbashedly playful note that epitomizes the whole project.

Although I've given it only a single listen, so far, I'm prepared to declare this one a pure delight, with both leaders obviously enjoying themselves tremendously and leading the ensemble to one of the most charming of all jazz/ world music fusions. I had a smile on my face from the first cut on.