LeMali 70

Overview

In Berlin, a bigband discovers old vinyls from the Malian Bigband era, music which embodied the hope for Malian independence before a coup brought an end to the legendary brass sections. Inspired by these songs, the Berliners travel to Mali to find the heroes of their vinyl-collection. There they research the origins of the songs and bring back the lost brass sections to play with forgotten Malian stars, leading often to heated arguments over the correct beats, and record an album in a studio in Bamako. The film offers a rare insight into the working relationships between artists from different cultures. It captures several key moments which would eventually lead to the production of a truly collaborative album that pays homage to a special period in Mali’s rich musical history.