Very sad news is just starting to come in from Mali: Wassoulou diva Ramata Diakite has passed away after a long illness. MaliWeb is carrying the story (in French), and they state that she passed on October 30, sadly only five weeks after marrying her new husband. The article lists her as being 35 years old, but other sources say she was born in 1976... in either case, entirely too young.

Known as one of the Wassoulou region's most talented singers, and the best-known, second only to reigning queen Oumou Sangare, Ramata (sometimes called Ramatou) Diakite was a strong ambassador for her culture. I was fortunate enough to see her once, and I (along with the rest of the crowd, which included country singer Patty Loveless, who had played earlier on the same festival stage) was captivated, and I've been looking forward to seeing her again ever since.

Update: Diakite's friend and manager Erich Ludwig has further information and touching remembrances at his personal blog.

Watch Diakite's "Leroule" Music Video on YouTube.

I don't often give bad CD reviews, mostly because I don't often really dislike music. I'm pretty open-minded and I can think of good things about almost anything. In fact, I can even think of some good things about former Celtic Woman Orla Fallon's new release Distant Shore. I just never want to have to listen to it again.

By anyone's standards, it's a well-made CD. The production value is high, the talent is evident, and there's nothing that stands out as "wrong." And frankly, I think that Distant Shore has pretty widespread appeal. However, Michael Buble, ankle boots, and shredded coconut also all have widespread appeal, and I wouldn't mind if all of them just went away, either.

When it comes right down to it, I just think Distant Shore is too pretty. I like my Irish music with a proper layer of grit, and I'm just not finding any here. Then again, to call this CD "Irish music" would be like calling Shania Twain's music "country" (as Minnie Pearl rolls over in her grave). No, it is (at best) Celtic-tinged, despite the fact that Fallon has pretty substantial traditional Irish music street cred, having won a number of prestigious competitions as a harpist. And though I can occasionally get behind a good pop record, this one just does very little for me. Have you heard it? What do you think?

A little over a year ago, a musical called FELA! premiered off-Broadway in New York City. Featuring choreography by Bill T. Jones and musical arrangements by Aaron Johnson and members of New York-based Afrobeat ensemble Antibalas (members of which also appear in the musical), FELA! tells the story of the life and music of Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti.

The off-Broadway production of FELA! was received so well by audiences and critics alike that it is now making the big move to Broadway. Opening for previews at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre on October 19, the show officially opens November 23. Visit the official FELA! website to learn more about tickets and other information.

In related news, Knitting Factory Records recently bought the rights to the entire Fela Kuti catalog, and is in the process of remastering and releasing the whole shebang. As a predecessor to those releases (which begin with a reissue of Black President on October 27), the Knitting Factory is sponsoring a string of "Felabrations" throughout the country, which began on October 12 - check the Giant Step Media website to see if there's one in your city.

The moral of this story? Fela Kuti is about to be a very big name. If you already know the broader points of his life story and can discuss his music with a certain amount of authority, you're a big step ahead of a lot of people. If you're behind on that stuff, quick! Catch up! You've still got a few days!

Congolese-Kenyan musician Samba Mapangala has released a new song in collaboration with the World Wildlife Fund in order to raise awareness about conservation in the Congo Basin, and more specifically, the Virunga region (where Mapangala was born, and what he named his band, Orchestra Virunga, after), the home of over half of the world's 700 remaining mountain gorillas, the habitats of whom have been devastated by human activity, from war to poaching (remember, mountain gorillas are the species that Dian Fossey died trying to save). That's not a typo - there are really only 700 mountain gorillas left.

It's often the case that awareness for important issues only coincides with a tragedy, so I'm always excited when awareness is drummed up by positivity instead. Indeed, that's the case here, as Samba Mapangala is releasing this song for free. It's called "Les Gorilles des Montagnes," and you can download it directly from drop.io, and learn more about the song and the gorillas themselves on the WWF website. It's a beautiful, upbeat song, and totally worth the mere seconds it will take to download it. Just remember the reason he's giving the song away - the gorillas need our help!