| Africa Express Presents... Terry Riley's In C Mali | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Studio album by | |
| Released | 24 November 2014 |
| Recorded | 2013 (Bamako, Mali) |
| Genre | Minimalism |
| Label | Transgressive |
Africa Express Presents... Terry Riley's In C Mali is a studio album released by Africa Express, a UK-based non-profit organisation. The album is a recording of Terry Riley's minimalist composition In C , with playing from Malian and Western musicians. It was released through Transgressive Records on 24 November 2014.
In C is a classical piece in the style of minimalism, composed by Terry Riley in 1964. [1] It was inspired by modal jazz and the repetition found in African music. [2] The piece begins with a droning pulse played on the note C. [3] Then, an unspecified amount of performers select from one of 53 melodic segments, which they repeat for as long as they choose. [3] This causes the phrases to interfere aleatorically, creating complex harmony and rhythms. [1]
There have been many recordings of In C since the first in 1968, but In C Mali is the first African one. [4] In C Mali was first initiated by the German conductor André de Ridder. [5] It was recorded in Bamako, Mali, in 2013. [5] The album was released in 2014, the fiftieth anniversary of In C's composition. [6] It was released physically via Transgressive Records in 2015. [7] Africa Express' rendition runs for 41 minutes. [3] It keeps the same key elements of the original, but adds extra details, for example, flutes, strings, and a spoken word soliloquy (during which, the pulse stops). [8] 17 musicians play on the album, consisting of both Malian and Western musicians (including Damon Albarn, Nick Zinner, and Brian Eno). [9] The pulse is played on the balafon. [10] Ridder served as the conductor. [3]
Paul Mardles of The Guardian gave the album four out of five stars, and praised the "new details" that give the recording its charm. [11] Joe Tangari of Pitchfork rated the album 8.1 out of 10 points, praising its distinction from other In C recordings, and the ensemble's "dynamic interplay". [3] The album received three-and-a-half out of five stars from Andy Beta of Rolling Stone . [2] Mark Kidel of The Arts Desk gave the recording a perfect score, and wrote it may be the most "exciting version" of In C. [10]
Adapted from Tangari 2015.
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