LES MEILLEURS SOUVENIRS DE LA 1ERE BIENNALE ARTISTIQUE ET CULTURELLE DE LA JEUNESSE by ORCHESTRE REGIONAL DE MOPTI

Mississippi Records inaugurate a 6 x LP series of Malian music reissued from the catalogue of Sterns with these recordings from 1970. The Regional Orchestra of Mopti was a state-funded orchestra that participated in country wide music festivals and competitions. Check!Pictured on a boat in Mopti, "The Mailian Venice", we can count 14 band members on the sleeve, brandishing electric guitars, a large horn section and drummers, while the LP itself contains seven songs of slightly droning and often hypnotic music. The group produced two recordings in their career - a 10" disc of four tracks released through the national radio station and one album through the Bärenreiter-Musicaphon label circa 1970. Some members of the group also performed in Kanaga de Mopti, a non-government sponsored group, who released a LP on the Mali Kundan label.