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67 Commons Rd
Germantown, NY, 12526
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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.

Live from Timbuktu 2012

Clermont Music documented the final edition of the Festival au Desert in 2012 which ended two days before the rebellion that precipitated the crisis in Mali. A collection of prime cuts from established names and intriguing newcomers, the thrill and anxiety of the festival is palpable.

Festival au Desert 2012 - Live from Timbuktu

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Two days before the 2012 rebellion in northern Mali. Soldiers are everywhere. Guns mounted on pickups; low flying surveillance planes.  Several thousand people have gathered outside Timbuktu to celebrate the music and culture of the Sahara at the 12th edition of the Festival au Desert.  Three months later, Sharia descends on northern Mali.  A millennial history is suppressed.  Shrines destroyed.  Secular music banned.  Before, the streets were alive with music.  Weddings, baptisms, celebrations always accompanied by griot praise songs, takamba dance rhythms and electric guitars.  Then, even a musical ringtone on your portable phone can bring a beating.  The Festival au Desert’s mission has been to bring cross cultural exchange to economically develop this desert region.  These recordings are a testament to the brave efforts of Festival organizers to use culture as a means of nonviolent reconciliation.  From the stage all the musicians begged for peace.  “La Paix” shouted Khaira Arby.  “Democracy” sang Tartit.  And the crowds cheered their agreement.  Capturing some of the excitement and fear of the people of northern Mali in January 2012, these 18 tracks were recorded directly from the house sound board.  It was not possible to bring complex equipment.  It is not possible to include every artist who performed.  Mixed and mastered in the US, this release preserves a moment in the history of the Sahara.

Catalog # CLE 2013001CD available on CD and digital

Reviews and Links

“the artists demonstrate the richness and diversity of Malian music, from electric guitar-driven “desert blues” to more traditional sounds.“
George de Stefano, PopMatters

“The album beautifully confirms that Mali is the crown jewel of the African stringed-acoustic sound.”
Rohiatou Siby, The Liberator Magazine

“le document est important avec son rock blues malien tous azimuts, touarègue ou pas, ses musiques roots, ses artistes plus connus,”
Yves Bernard, Le Devoir

“What you will understand while listening to this disc is what an amazing experience it is to be out in the middle of the Sahara Desert with the stars overhead and the sand around you listening to music.”
Richard Marcus, blogcritics