![]() Cooder has carved a reputation of delving deep and exploring the vast legacies of American musical legacies, most notably the rustic strains of the blues. That was the moment when the desert blues got its worldwide exposure. And it was inevitable for him to meet the ever curious guitar adventurer and producer Ry Cooder. At the time, his music was wide spreading across Africa when cassettes were the chosen medium for the desert and were used as main distribution channels as much as these days cell phone memory cards are used in West Africa for distributing music. ![]() For years before the world came to know his music in the '80s, he merged the sounds and the rhythms of his native Mali with the sounds of the blues which inevitably drew comparisons with another great artist, the blues legend John Lee Hooker. Toure's music was the finest example of desert blues that was unconcerned with boundaries. It was him who singlehandedly introduced the world to this music and its cultures behind. The popularity of this movement and music can easily be pinpointed to the music of the great Malian artist Ali Farka Toure, a towering musical figure and cultural icon. The sound that forms the basis of their music, apart from the dominant sound of the guitars, shares the same yearning and pace as the American blues, and the sonorities of the strings resonate in a way that has already been heard on old blues recordings. Artists such as Tinariwen, Terakaft, Boubakar Traore, Tamikrest, Bombino, Habib Koite, Vieux Farka Toure, Amadou and Miriam, to name but a few, can be seen and heard touring the world, performing at prestigious world music festivals and producing brilliant and popular recordings. The bands and musicians that are part of this genre come from an area that is spread across Western Africa that stretches from Mali to Libya gathering people of various ethnic groups. With each new project, Vieux expands his horizons, embraces new challenges and further entrenches his reputation as one of the world’s most talented and innovative musicians.These days the genre of desert blues boasts one of the most vibrant music movements around the world. For more than 20 years, Vieux has been honing his craft and prowess on the guitar spanning a dozen remarkable albums, including noteworthy collaborations with New York-based singer Julia Easterlin and Israeli superstar Idan Raichel dubbed “The Touré-Raichel Collective” - hailed by fans and critics alike as a masterpiece and one of the best collaborative albums in the history of international music, drawing comparisons to Ali Farka Touré and Ry Cooder’s legendary “Talking Timbuktu” album. ![]() ![]() Vieux defied his family’s urges for him to become a soldier, choosing instead to carry on his father’s musical legacy. Vieux was initially a drummer and calabash (bottle gourd) player at Mali’s Institut National des Arts, but secretly began playing guitar in 2001. Vieux pays homage to his father and follows Ali’s musical tradition, giving new versions of the West African music that is echoed in the American blues, effortlessly blending elements of Latin, rock and jazz into his sound. Often referred to as “The Hendrix of the Sahara,” Vieux Farka Touré was born in Niafunké, Mali and is the son of legendary Malian guitar player Ali Farka Touré. The Center for the Arts welcomes renowned guitarist, singer and songwriter Vieux Farka Touré to its Marisa Funk Theater May 14. ![]()
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