Biography
Boubacar Traoré, also known as Kar Kar, moved from serving as Mali’s prominent national voice into a stretch of anonymity before resurfacing as a singer, guitarist, and songwriter with worldwide recognition—an overall path that proved rewarding. He entered the world in Kayes, amid the arid western zone of Mali, where boyhood devotion to soccer brought him the lasting nickname “Kar Kar,” abbreviated from “kari, kari,” which denotes dribbling. Music soon drew his focus, however, and the sport receded. He began performing with ensembles in the Kayes vicinity, among them the Orchestra Regional de Kayes, supplying guitar and vocals, before shifting to Bamako, the capital, to seek broader prospects. In the 1960s, once Mali had secured independence from France, he appeared to have reached major success. Traoré appeared each morning on national radio, opening the day for the nation with the song “Mali Twist,” an affectionate tribute to the newly sovereign country. Radio and live appearances rendered Kar Kar and his voice recognizable throughout the populace.
Yet the income proved insufficient for family needs, prompting Traoré to set music aside while he worked successively as a tailor, shopkeeper, farmer, schoolteacher, and agricultural agent outside Bamako to sustain his household. Occasional performances continued, though pressing obligations dominated. A turning point arrived in 1987 with the death of his wife Pierrette. Once most of his children had reached adulthood, Traoré resumed live work and experienced rediscovery within Mali. The setting had grown too laden with painful recollections, and he stated, “I didn’t want to be there any more.” He therefore proceeded to France, where he joined other Malians on construction sites, sharing basic lodging and forwarding earnings to relatives. His guitar accompanied him, though it remained largely untouched until a British producer located him and arranged a trip to England to cut his debut album, Mariama. Two years afterward he returned to Mali, reestablishing residence in Bamako and performing regularly. His return startled many Malians who had interpreted his absence as evidence of his passing. He proved more engaged than before, composing pieces in the pentatonic idiom of his native Kayes that echoed the northern Malian approach of his friend Ali Farka Touré. Mariama achieved success among world-music listeners and led Ry Cooder and David Lindley to propose joint projects that ultimately did not materialize.
Traoré instead traveled back to Europe in 1992 to record Kar Kar, an album whose material frequently addressed lost love, before commencing further touring. He thereafter split his time between Bamako, where he gradually constructed a house by hand, and Europe, the site of frequent concerts. Only in 1996 did he release Sa Golo, his third album, in France (issued in the United States in 2000). Baba Dramé supplied calabash alongside Traoré’s voice and guitar. Three years later the French Indigo label issued Maciré, Traoré’s fourth recording (with a 2000 U.S. release); titled after his brother, the songs received expanded arrangements from the rising Malian artist Habib Koité and his ensemble Bamada. The album featured a track that had enjoyed wide popularity for Traoré in the 1960s—“Kar Kar Madison,” his personal version of the American dance fad the Madison. In early autumn 2000 Traoré embarked on an extensive, well-received U.S. tour supporting Maciré together with the worldwide reissue of the 1997 album Sa Golo, which has since attained classic status in the field. During 2003 he delivered Je Chanterai Pour Toi on Marabi, with Ballaké Sissoko featured on kora. Two years afterward the label released the widely praised Kongo Magni, distributed internationally by World Village. He toured the album across Europe, the United States, and Canada. Following the tour he returned to his Bamako property and resumed sheep-raising, the pursuit he cherished most after music, for the ensuing six years.
In 2011 Kar Kar issued Mali Denhou on Lusafrica. The recording featured his experienced touring ensemble, with Fassery Diabate on balafon, Madieye Niang on calabash, Mahamadou Kamissoko on ngoni, and longtime associate Vincent Bucher on harmonica. Traoré resumed concert activity, appearing at festivals in Europe, Asia, and the United States as the album climbed into the Top Five on world-music charts. The next year the album’s distributor, Harmonia Mundi, reissued the set as a two-fer paired with Kongo Magni to mark his seventieth birthday. Three years afterward Kar Kar recorded the intimate Mbalimaou in Bamako alongside Bucher and a core group of African musicians on n’goni, percussion, and kora. Spare and direct, the album echoed his earliest work and contained only one track not written by the guitarist. Christian Mousset and Ballaké Sissoko (who also added kora to several pieces) served as co-producers. For 2017’s Dounia Tabolo, Traoré assembled musicians drawn from North America’s Deep South, among them violinist/washboardist Cedric Watson, guitarist Corey Harris, and Haitian-American vocalist Leyla McCalla, while Bucher returned on harmonica—by then his musical counterpart—and Alassane Samake played calabash. Mousset produced the thirteen-track collection, which consisted solely of original material. ~ Chris Nickson
Yet the income proved insufficient for family needs, prompting Traoré to set music aside while he worked successively as a tailor, shopkeeper, farmer, schoolteacher, and agricultural agent outside Bamako to sustain his household. Occasional performances continued, though pressing obligations dominated. A turning point arrived in 1987 with the death of his wife Pierrette. Once most of his children had reached adulthood, Traoré resumed live work and experienced rediscovery within Mali. The setting had grown too laden with painful recollections, and he stated, “I didn’t want to be there any more.” He therefore proceeded to France, where he joined other Malians on construction sites, sharing basic lodging and forwarding earnings to relatives. His guitar accompanied him, though it remained largely untouched until a British producer located him and arranged a trip to England to cut his debut album, Mariama. Two years afterward he returned to Mali, reestablishing residence in Bamako and performing regularly. His return startled many Malians who had interpreted his absence as evidence of his passing. He proved more engaged than before, composing pieces in the pentatonic idiom of his native Kayes that echoed the northern Malian approach of his friend Ali Farka Touré. Mariama achieved success among world-music listeners and led Ry Cooder and David Lindley to propose joint projects that ultimately did not materialize.
Traoré instead traveled back to Europe in 1992 to record Kar Kar, an album whose material frequently addressed lost love, before commencing further touring. He thereafter split his time between Bamako, where he gradually constructed a house by hand, and Europe, the site of frequent concerts. Only in 1996 did he release Sa Golo, his third album, in France (issued in the United States in 2000). Baba Dramé supplied calabash alongside Traoré’s voice and guitar. Three years later the French Indigo label issued Maciré, Traoré’s fourth recording (with a 2000 U.S. release); titled after his brother, the songs received expanded arrangements from the rising Malian artist Habib Koité and his ensemble Bamada. The album featured a track that had enjoyed wide popularity for Traoré in the 1960s—“Kar Kar Madison,” his personal version of the American dance fad the Madison. In early autumn 2000 Traoré embarked on an extensive, well-received U.S. tour supporting Maciré together with the worldwide reissue of the 1997 album Sa Golo, which has since attained classic status in the field. During 2003 he delivered Je Chanterai Pour Toi on Marabi, with Ballaké Sissoko featured on kora. Two years afterward the label released the widely praised Kongo Magni, distributed internationally by World Village. He toured the album across Europe, the United States, and Canada. Following the tour he returned to his Bamako property and resumed sheep-raising, the pursuit he cherished most after music, for the ensuing six years.
In 2011 Kar Kar issued Mali Denhou on Lusafrica. The recording featured his experienced touring ensemble, with Fassery Diabate on balafon, Madieye Niang on calabash, Mahamadou Kamissoko on ngoni, and longtime associate Vincent Bucher on harmonica. Traoré resumed concert activity, appearing at festivals in Europe, Asia, and the United States as the album climbed into the Top Five on world-music charts. The next year the album’s distributor, Harmonia Mundi, reissued the set as a two-fer paired with Kongo Magni to mark his seventieth birthday. Three years afterward Kar Kar recorded the intimate Mbalimaou in Bamako alongside Bucher and a core group of African musicians on n’goni, percussion, and kora. Spare and direct, the album echoed his earliest work and contained only one track not written by the guitarist. Christian Mousset and Ballaké Sissoko (who also added kora to several pieces) served as co-producers. For 2017’s Dounia Tabolo, Traoré assembled musicians drawn from North America’s Deep South, among them violinist/washboardist Cedric Watson, guitarist Corey Harris, and Haitian-American vocalist Leyla McCalla, while Bucher returned on harmonica—by then his musical counterpart—and Alassane Samake played calabash. Mousset produced the thirteen-track collection, which consisted solely of original material. ~ Chris Nickson
Albums
