The March Transglobal World Music Chart is topped by the album A Djinn and a Hunter Went Walking by the duo Neba Solo & Benego Diakité. This recognition from music critics confirms that the profound musical conversation between the “djinn” and the “hunter,” recorded under a mango tree in Mali, has achieved major success.
The release of “A Djinn and a Hunter Went Walking” was initiated by Nonesuch Records in collaboration with Nick Gold. This project brings together two virtuosos of traditional Malian instruments: balafon player Neba Solo and donso n’goni master Benego Diakité.
The musical dialogue between these artists began more than a decade ago during the recording sessions for singer Oumou Sangaré’s album. Although their instruments originate from different cultural backgrounds, the chemistry between the musicians led to the creation of this unique double album. The first disc offers richer arrangements featuring vocals, percussion, and subtle touches of mellotron and guitars. In contrast, the second disc is an intimate acoustic recording of their shared performance, captured in a garden in Bamako.
The lead single, “Djinê Mogo Tiki,” was released alongside an authentic video from the recording site. Neba Solo is renowned for modernizing the balafon tradition, while Diakité has been a longtime pillar of Oumou Sangaré’s backing band. Both artists have long been regarded as “musicians’ musicians” in Mali, but with this release, they are finally stepping into the global spotlight. The album represents the first installment in the new Etoile Audio series, which promises further exciting collaborations under the direction of Nick Gold. This recording builds on the rich tradition of Malian music that the world has come to know through names such as Ali Farka Touré and Toumani Diabaté.
Top albums March 2026:
- Neba Solo & Benego Diakité · A Djinn and a Hunter Went Walking · Nonesuch [2]
- Canzoniere Grecanico Salentino · Il Mito · Ponderosa Music [1]
- Stelios Petrakis · Lyric / Lyrikon · Buda Musique [11]
- Altın Gün · Garip · Glitterbeat [-]
- Catrin Finch · Notes to Self · Bendigedig [19]
- Tuuletar · Maammo · Nordic Notes / CPL-Musicgroup [6]
- Monoswezi · Moyo · Parallell [-]
- Constantinople: Kiya Tabassian, Ablaye Cissoko, Patrick Graham · Estuaire · Ma Case [-]
- Raül Refree & Maria Mazzotta · San Paolo di Galatina · Galileo Music Communication [-]
- Syran Mbenza · Rumba Africa · Hysa Productions [5]
- Crossing: Petit Solo Diabaté | Nino Martella | Marco Schiavone · The Path Between Us · Circular Music [15]
- Noura Mint Seymali · Yenbett · Glitterbeat [4]
- Leo Middea · Notícias de Puglia · Agogo [-]
- Las Hermanas Caronni · El Espacio del Tiempo · Les Grands Fleuves [-]
- Mama Sissoko · Diamond Fingers · One World [26]
- Either/Orchestra & Ethiopian Guests · Éthiopiques 32: Nalbandian l’Éthiopien / The Ethiopian · Buda Musique [14]
- Antibalas · Hourglass · Daptone [8]
- V.A. · Léve Léve: São Tomé & Príncipe Sounds 70s-80s Vol.2 · Bongo Joe [-]
- Nusantara Beat · Nusantara Beat · Glitterbeat [3]
- BashElán · Titkon · Fonó [-]
- Kunbe · Fanga · Adjololo [-]
- Lamia Yared & Efrén López · From Minho to Euphrates · Worlds Within Worlds [18]
- Ana Crismán Arpa Flamenca · Arpaora · Andalouse Alhambra [23]
- Kairos Collective · Mulciber · TouMilou [-]
- Ranil y su Conjunto Tropical · Galaxia Tropical · Analog Africa [-]
- Cristina Branco · Mulheres de Abril · Locomotiva Azul [20]
- Muluken Mèllèssè · Éthiopiques 31 · Buda Musique [12]
- Vigad · Tri, i · Fonó [-]
- Gangbé Brass Band · From Ouidah to Another World · Salt’n Ginger [17]
- Omar Sosa · Sendas · Otá [7]
- Amadou & Mariam · L’Amour à la Folie · Because Music [10]
- Hersi Matmuja & Jacopo Conoci · Lum · Maladisco [-]
- Eric Bibb · One Mississippi · Repute / Proper [-]
- Nuevos Ríos · Nuevos Ríos · ZZK [-]
- Yilian Cañizares · Vitamina Y · Planeta Y [33]
- Wesli · Makaya · WUP [9]
- Nilza Costa · Cantigas · Brutture Moderne [-]
- Cheikh Lô · Maame · World Circuit [31]
- Bamako Airlines · Volume III · Bamako Airlines [-]
- Hami Hamoo · Siya · Accords Croisés / Pias [16]
NMR (photo: press)
Founder members and administrators Transglobal World Music Chart:
Ángel Romero (US), Araceli Tzigane (ES), Juan Antonio Vázquez (ES)
Current active members:
Kutay Derin Kuğay (TR), Robert Gregor (SK), Yatrika Shah-Rais (IR/US), Armen Manukyan (AM), Rolf Beydemüller (DE), François Bensignor (FR), Eleni Ziliaskopoulou (GR), Marija Vitas (RS), Jaïr Tchong (BE), Enrique Blanc (MX), Tiago Lucas Garcia (BR), Zekeriya S. Şen (TR), Benjamín Muñiz (PR), Daryana Antipova (RU), Mika Kauhanen (FI), Luisa Piñeros (CO), Toni Pennacchia (US), Chen Hanzi (CN), Takuya “Salam” Unagami (JP), Janaína Ávila (BR), Ankur Malhotra (IN), Alexis Herrería (MX), Ula Nowak (PL), Banning Eyre (US), Magda Tejchma (PL), Tatiana Naryshkina (RU), Andrii Polianskyi (UA), Michael Rossi (UK), Nicky Blumenfeld NickyB, Loris Böhm (IT), Ben Wheeler (GE/US), Seth Jordan (AU), Tony Hillier (AU), Charlie Crooijmans (NL), Nigel Wood (IE), Dore Stein (US), Roger Holdsworth (AU), Madan Rao (IN), Gil Medovoy (US), Chris Heim (US), Ciro De Rosa (IT), Scott Stevens (US), Hendrick T S Foh (MY), Cliff Furnald (US), Rob Weisberg (US), Toni Polo (FR/ES), Nicolás Falcoff (AR), Masakazu Kitanaka (JP), Jordi Demésenllà (ES), Rafael Mieses (DO/US), Luís Rei (PT), Jean Trouillet (DE), Evangeline Kim (US), Alejandro López (ES), Jon Kertzer (US), Ken Stowar (CA), Jiří Moravčík (CZ), Mu Qian (CN), Gil Rouvio (IL), Bouna Ndiaye (SN/US)
More at: https://www.transglobalwmc.com/
