A pan-African All-Star band merging two cultures. Desert blues man Alhousseini Anivolla meets Ethio-jazz guitarist Girum Mezmur. Their album "Afropentatonism" features repetitive grooves, hypnotic jams and raw guitar sounds. Their new collaborative project "Afropentatonism" fuses some of the most intriguing art of their respective cultures. Repetitive grooves, hypnotic jams and raw guitar sounds shape the album - all amidst the laid-back vocals of Alhousseini, who sings in his native tongue Tamashek. It's an outstanding pan-African collaboration. The two leaders are joined by percussionist Misale Legesse and two players of traditional East African instruments: the masinko (one-stringed Ethiopian violin) played by Habtamu Yeshambel and the krar (five-stringed bass-like lyre), played by Anteneh Teklemariam. The sextet is completed by 78-year-old mandolin legend Ayele Mamo from Addis. The New York Times hailed Mamo's playing for its "honeyed melody".[info sheet from distr.]