The band attached to Mailian ngoni player Bassekou Kouyate is an eclectic bunch, but many of the players may be disillusioned by the constant capitalist impulses in play. They are family, which means their priorities are different.

Everyone was dressed in indigo, in the exact same pattern, except for Kouyate himself, who wore a traditional cloak over the costume. He immediately differentiated himself from the group, though there were as many as five ngoni players performing at any given time, Bassekou was in charge. His wife is the chief vocalist and main visual clue for the ensemble. The songs would ebb and flow, and Bassekou informed each by a wild, rambunctious solo. He’s been compared to Jimi Hendrix, which may sound lazy, but like Hendrix Bassekou redefined his instrument. The music is saucy, but not too aggressive. The crowd immediately absorbed the beat and the melodic patterns.

At the end of the set he brought out a guitarist and they performed his biggest hit, “Ne Me Fatigue Pas,” which ended up as a swirling mass of improvisational rigor. The audience never stood a chance. -Phil