Mokhtar Samba - Racines (2020)

Drummer and percussionist of Moroccan and Senegalese origin, Mokhtar has played alongside the most prestigious of musicians, including Joe Zawinul, Jaco Pastorius, Youssou N’Dour, Mariah Carey, Patti Smith, Carlos Santana, ONG National French Jazz Orchestra, Carlinhos Brown, Eddy Louis, Jean Luc Ponty, Manu Dibango, etc. to name but a few.

From his debut with Hamsa Music to the legendary Ultramarine (featuring Etienne M’Bappé, Mario Canonge and N’Guyen Lê, among others), Mokhtar has proven to be a diligent, vigorous yet inventive explorer. From innovative sonorities to imaginative mixing, Mokhtar has conveyed a multifaceted talent for western harmonies, as well as African rhythms and Bedouin tunes. His rigorous and consistent quest is a search for "Musical Graal": music with no frontiers. Such is his capacity to revive cultural heritage to a universal dimension that speaks to all souls.

Distinct Mandinka inspiration is patent in Mokhtar’s work, stemming from musical experience with Salif Keita, Kante Manfila, Ousmane Kouyaté and Cheikh Tidiane Seck. Here, the enlightening arpeggios of the Kora, the enchanting melodies of the desert nomads unite with jazz improvisations, all contributing to the songbook of this outstanding drummer.

The sensational solo album, Dounia, which translates as World from Arabic, Mokhtar performs live with extraordinary singer Woz Kaly (Xalam, Touré Kunda), bassist N’Doumbé Djengué (Fémi Kuti) and

the eternally inspired Jean-Philippe Rykiel (Youssou N'Dour) to name a small handful of the acclaimed collaborators. The result is a joyful, generous music, where sophisticated musical architecture leads to sheer emotion.