In the Heart of the Moon

When two of Mali’s greatest musicians recorded together, they could have gone for fireworks, but instead they opted at every turn for simplicity: for bathing in one another’s perfect tone. This album contains solo tracks by the electric guitarist / vocalist Touré and the master of the harp-like kora Diabaté, as well as duets. There are the tiniest embellishments at points from guest musician Ry Cooder, his son Joachim, and a couple of other Malian, Nigerian and Cuban musicians, but really it’s about the meeting of the two minds. Their virtuosity is constantly there, but it’s expressed through elegant perfection of the geometry of their circling patterns: you can hear JS Bach, American minimalism, echoes of so many different folk traditions you might think it’s music from Atlantis, or from some higher intelligence. But ultimately it’s just two guys who love one another’s music, creating as they go — and that makes it all the more miraculous. As close as a record gets to perfection.