
Malian singer Fatoumata Diawara (aka Fatou) was born in the Ivory Coast in 1982 then raised in Mali. As a child she became a member of her father's dance troupe and was a popular performer of the wildly flailing didadi dance from Wassoulou, her ancestral home in western Mali. In 2002 she took up a career in acting, but as an unmarried woman in Malian society, she needed her parents permission to take it further. They refused permission and Fatoumata took the astonishing and life changing decision to flee her country unaided and start a new life in [...]

Born on Guadaloupe, raised in Canada and blessed with a lovely voice and great features, FM Laeti walked in my life thanks to Dutch Radio6-dj Jaap Boots. When he mentioned she duetted with the new African goddess Fatoumata Diawara , I was sold! The duet, Coco, is a French-Westindian-Malinese culture clash, that works very, very well! Like a cool wind on a hot summer's day. FM Laeti (the FM is a tribute to the radiowaves, and to 'different moods') grew up in a very musical family: 'My father is a drummer, my step father a classical pianist and my [...]
Rocket Juice and the Moon is a musical supergroup. The group consists Damon Albarn (guitar, vocals) of Blur, Flea (bass) of Red Hot Chili Peppers and Tony Allen (drums, percussion), longtime drummer and musical producer for Fela Kuti. They have unveiled their first single 'Hey Shooter'. The track features Erykah Badu and is the first to be [...]
A organização do Festival de Músicas do Mundo de Sines revelou mais três nomes para o cartaz da edição deste ano. Três espetáculos originários de África. Do Mali vem a cantora e guitarrista Fatoumata Diawara. Do Níger, para um regresso a Portugal depois de um belo concerto ao fim da tarde no Jardim das Oliveiras do CCB, no ano passado, teremos o grupo Bombino. O terceiro nome é o de Jupiter &

Gorillaz, Mali Music, The Good, the Bad & the Queen, Deltron 3030, Monkey: Journey to the West, Doctor Dee. Damon Albarn's career path has a multi-faceted global outlook these days. Last night's Another Honest Jon's Chop Up gig was just the latest chapter in Albarn's role as cultural curator which this year has seen an charity album recorded in the Congo called DRC Music and now Rocketjuice and The Moon , his latest collaborative project with Flea of Red Hot Chili Peppers and Nigerian-born legendary drummer Tony Allen. Honest Jon's [...]
Last Friday, Rocketjuice and the Moon took to the Savoy stage to open the annual Cork Jazz Festival. More commonly known as Honest Jon's Chop Up Shop, Rocketjuice and the Moon is the moniker that Damon Albarn and Flea have given to this group of musicians who are only playing [Read more]
Just a quick reminder about Another Honest Jon's Chop Up – the amazing show featuring Damon Albarn, Tony Allen, Flea, Fatoumata Diawara, Phil Cohran, Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, Theo Parrish, Shangaan Electro, M.anifest & Chieck Tidiane Seck – to name but a few. http://choicecuts.ticketbud.co m/another-honest-jons-chop-up Special Offer Get two tickets for just €80.00 - 0% booking fee. The show is totally sold out in Cork – limited tickets still available for Tuesday, Nov 1st at Vicar St. Brought to you by the folks at ChoiceCuts and the [...]

Fatoumata Diawara worked as an actress before writing songs. Fatou, by Fatoumata Diawara, is another great release album of 2011. Raised in Mali and resident in Paris, Fatoumata Diawara just released first album deeply inspired by her Wassoulou roots. Fatou's debut album sounding in the like of Ali Farka Touré, Rokia Traore, is signed on World Circuit (Toumani Diabaté, Tony Allen...) . Ex-actress and singer, already work with Malian musician, Oumou Sangare . She has recently featured on Imagine Project and AfroCubism's Herbie Hancock, or guest appareance for Orchestre Poly-Rythmo's Cotton Club "Ou [...]