Freshened by the presence of Mah Damba, the prayers of La Litanie des Cimes sound now as little pagan hymns. Filled with the power of the griots’ art. Mah – known by her peers as one of Mali’s greatest active female singers – is a Mandingo djeli whose voice unfolds magnificent and troubling treasures. Weaved since 2019 by Clément Janinet, with Élodie Pasquier on clarinets and Bruno Ducret on cello, the music of La Litanie des Cimes blossoms perfectly in contact with Mah Damba’s voice. The mandingo poetess illuminates the trio’s chamber music laceworks with a fascinating simplicity. The contemplative woodiness of the melodies and ostinatos ignites, unifying and fierce. The presence of this priestess in exile exalts the grand movements, slow tempos and harmonic contemplations. The improvisation rules remain free and introspective, and the repetitive motifs are as much sparks as they are masterful epics, as much personal riots as they are boisterous, ardent narratives. Whispered into the ears of whoever will listen, from the tops of tall trees.   Guillaume Malvoisin