Named after a Bambara word meaning "to walk, " Tama consists of Malian vocalist
Tom Diakite, percussionist Djanuno Dabo of Guinea Bissau and London-based producer/multi-instrumentalist Sam Mills. The trio met when they were playing with the hypnotic Bengali performer
Paban Das Baul, with whom Mills had collaborated previously on albums like Real Sugar. Having some extra time at the recording studio led to the group creating impromptu songs that incorporated Diakite's West African musical heritage and Mills' roots in pop, avant-garde and world music, which stretch back to his days in
23 Skidoo in the late '70s and early '80s. The group's debut album
Nostalgie was released in 1999 on the RealWorld label. ~ Heather Phares