“Timbuktoubab is a moving listening experience from start to finale, and will surely be remembered at the end of the year as one of the finest world music titles of 2005.” —Metro Magazine
“Music that conjures the very soul of the Sahara…evokes the spirit of the blues.” —Billboard Magazine
“Timbuktoubab was a highlight of the 2004 Mill Valley Film Festival. The bridge between U.S. blues and traditional Malian music was made palpable, both onscreen and in live performances by Markus James and The Wassonrai. It was a dynamic and memorable event for an enthusiastic audience. —Zoë Elton, Director of Programming, 27th Mill Valley Film Festival
Markus James and Timbuktoubab have recorded and toured in Northern Mali including the Festival in the Desert 2003 and 2004, and in Timbuktu, Goundam, and Dire.
Markus James and the Wassonrai have preformed in many diverse settings ranging form syndicated radio programs to festivals to preforming arts centers, including The Festival in the Desert Tour 2004, PRI’s syndicated program “The World”, Festival Internationale (Lafayette, Louisiana), Joe’s Pub (NYC), Great American Music Hall, Cerritos Center , Bridges Auditorium, and the Luther Burbank Center.
Markus James
Head for the Hills
Markus James
Snakeskin Violin
Featured on All Things Considered
Rock with a West African Twist: NPR Music
“Profound world blues passage… extremely distinctive pieces, driven by a seductive rhythmic circularity that’s a keystone of Malian traditional tunes and Delta blues.”
BILLBOARD MAGAZINE
“In his most varied and satisfying album to date, James delivers 15 songs that range from brooding minimalism to rollicking fusions of African and American sensibilities…an artist who has done as much as anyone to kick open the doors too long separating American and West African roots music.”
AFROPOP WORLDWIDE
“The mix of sounds, instruments, and influences spanning the program is mind-boggling”
LIVING BLUES MAGAZINE
“Africa and Mississippi come together…”
BLUES REVUE MAGAZINE
“This is an extremely powerful album”
Ben Manilla, Executive Producer, House of Blues Radio Hour
“Snakey”
Elwood Blues
Markus James
Calabash Blues
Afropop Worldwide’s “Highly Recommended” 2006
“A sublime evocation of a landscape stretching from the muddy Delta to sun-baked Sahara sand”
DOWNBEAT
“An unbroken circle of centuries of history”
ROCK & RAP CONFIDENTIAL
Markus James
Timbuktoubab
Markus James
Nightbird
“Nightbird is one of the deepest listening experiences that will hit the U.S. market this year.”
BILLBOARD MAGAZINE
“Eerily atmospheric”
DOWNBEAT MAGAZINE
“A vital mix of the Mississippi Delta and Mali, a cultural exchange of haunting beauty and mystery.”
BLUES REVUE MAGAZINE
“One of the most inspired and arresting world music/blues albums”
DIRTY LINEN MAGAZINE
“A hypnotic journey through time that goes all the way to the heart of the blues.”
WIRED MAGAZINE
“The word soulful certainly describes this excellent CD, which blues, rock, and Afro-pop enthusiasts should all be aware of.”
ALL MUSIC GUIDE
“Spare, moody, and beautiful, it builds a bridge between continents, and takes the blues home.”
ROOTS MAGAZINE (UK)