I've been planning out a trip to Mali and Senegal for a few months and I'm getting ready to leave soon. I failed in persuading Amato to come along-- although I have a feeling if it was Maui instead of Mali, it might have worked. Meanwhile these two west African countries have incredibly rich musical traditions that have had immense impact on popular American music. I've been lucky to have introductions to musicians in both countries. I didn't know much about Bassekou Kouyate-- aside from the fact that he's a cool ngoni player, did some work with Dee Dee Bridgewater and Taj Mahal and that he is at the Royal Albert Hall in London tonight and has a killer My Space page and a wonderful EPK. I'll write back from Bamako after I see him play live in a few weeks. For now, I hope you enjoy his music as much as I do.