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67 Commons Rd
Germantown, NY, 12526
United States

518 755 5089

Clermont Music is an effort to support musicians from the Sahara Desert in Northern Mali by touring, recording and presenting their music to the World.

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Al Bilali Soudan

21st century traditional Tuareg music from Al Bilali Soudan. Relatives who have known each other their whole lives this group represents a tour de force of improvisation and spirit from the Sahara Desert.

Al Bilali Soudan

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“A primordial rock album thousands of years before the concept of rock was ever hatched.” Dennis Rozanski, BLUESRAG mojoworking.com Fall 2020

photo Chris Nolan

photo Chris Nolan

PRESS

“From Timbuktu, as we spell it, four or five male blood relatives shout and expostulate their songs in Tamashek, Songhai, and it says here French and English as they thrash and manipulate their ngoni-like tehardents. Whether conjoining barely coexisting peoples or boosting kind women who are better than they are, both of which they make sound worthy and neither of which they make sound easy, they will get your attention, guaranteed. If you like desert music enough to suspect you've heard it before, you haven't--Tinariwen are showbiz by comparison, Tamikrest urbane, Tartit cute. And should you instead suspect that this noisy, indelicate stuff is the roughest African music ever recorded, that's because you haven't heard their 2012 debut. A-“ Robert Christgau

“The electronic buzz of plugged-in tehardent no longer sounds like the repetition of background music. Now, it starts a fire, fully energized, and with every member at full volume.” Adriane Pontecorvo, www.popmatters.com

“wild and untamed” Nigel Williamson, Songlines

“The music retains a similar intensity and urgency while remaining loose and dreamlike. Melodic phrases spiral around and on top of each other while shouts of ecstatic joy and proddings are peppered amid the more traditional praises.” Mike Marcinowski, Afropop Worldwide

This is music comes from Tombouctou / Timbuktu Mali and is performed by Al Bilali Soudan. Led by Abellaw Yattara, the group on this recording includes his uncle Aboubacrine Yattara and their sons Mohamed Ag Abellaw and Tchiale Ag Aboubacrine and Hamadoun Guindo sitting in on the Tombouctou album tracks. This is traditional music played on traditional instruments, tehardent / ngoni / guitar and percussion / calabash. In performance, the sound of the stringed instruments is compressed to create an electric, dynamic sound. Their repertoire is based on traditional themes within which they improvise and adapt. The Yattaras can be heard on many recordings from Mali. Family members are featured on some of the earliest recorded examples of music from Timbuktu. Today, Al Bilali Soudan can be heard frequently at celebrations and festivals in Timbuktu.

Al Bilali Soudan - an ancient name for the city of Timbuktu - present an improvisational tour de force of traditional rhythms and scales. Their style is Tehardent, the Tamasheq name for their traditional stringed instrument. A precursor of the modern banjo, the Tehardent has accompanied griots, bards, dancers and vocalists for centuries. They hails from a well-known Tuareg family which has performed this music for generations. 

Abellow Yattara, a master of the instrument, is the group leader. His uncle, Aboubacrine Yattara plays the bass tehardent. Other members of the group include Mohamed Ag Abellow, Tchiale Ag Aboubacrine, Mohamed Dicko and Abdoulaye Ag Mohamed.  Their ease with one another is obvious in the verve of their relaxed performance. Their work represents cultural preservation renewed.

Tombouctou
By Al Bilali Soudan
Buy on Amazon

 DISCOGRAPHY

Al Bilali Soudan (CLE2012.01) 2012

Tombouctou (CLE029) 2020

Tandina feat.. Leila Gobi (CLE036 S) 2020

Corona feat. Hamma Cisse (CLE038 S) 2020

Al BIlali Soudan live from the Sahara for WOMEX 21