Vieux Farka Touré

World / Reggae / Blues

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NEWS

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Myspace.com/vieuxfarkatoure
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VIEUX FARKA TOURE PLAYS CHICAGO'S HIDEOUT BLOCK PARTY IN SEPTEMBER

Vieux Farka Touré will perform at Chicago's popular Hideout Block Party on September 20th. The eclectic 12th Annual Block Party features Neko Case, The New Pornographers, Plastic People of the Universe, Dan le Sac vs. Scroobius Pip, Monotonix Israel, Black Mountain, Ratatat, and Robbie Fulks, among many others.

VIEUX FARKA TOUR�%uFFFD PLAYS CENTRAL PARK SUMMERSTAGE AND MONTREAL JAZZ FEST IN JUNE

Vieux Farka Touré is in good company this summer, with two festival dates featuring many fantastic artists. Farka Touré is first scheduled to play the Montreal International Jazz Festival on June 26th, whose June/July 2008 schedule includes artists like Aretha Franklin, Steely Dan, Leonard Cohen and James Taylor.

Farka Touré will also perform on June 28th at Summerstage, New York's annual free concert in Central Park and a program of City Parks Foundation. Other artists on the bill this year include: Crosby, Stills and Nash, Duran Duran, The Skatalites, Mark Knopfler.\, and Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings.

"impressive, and at times, magical" - Uncut Magazine

"Mali has a new guitar god, and his name is Vieux Farka Toure." - Bluesrag

BIO

Since his infancy, World Village artist Bouriema "Vieux Farka" Touré has been enamored with the music of his father, Ali Farka Touré. He grew up both in Mali's capital city, Bamako, and in his father's home-town of Niafunké in the Sahara desert--both teeming with rich musical life. During his childhood, Vieux proved himself a precocious talent as a percussionist, particularly on the drum kit and on calabash. Ali quickly took note of his son's musical gift and grew concerned about his future. Having suffered in the music industry, Ali did not want his son to follow his path as a musician. He forbid Vieux to play music and ordered Vieux to become a soldier instead. Stubbornly, Vieux began to play along with his father's recordings in hiding, determined to pursue his musical aspirations.

In 1999, Vieux--now a young man--decided to take his destiny into his own hands. He enrolled in the National Arts Institute in Bamako, openly defying his father's wishes. It was there that Vieux discovered his musical calling and began to play guitar and compose music. By the time he left the Arts Institute, he was a locally celebrated guitar virtuoso, able to emulate his father's playing near-perfectly. Word began to spread throughout Bamako that Ali's successor was emerging. It was then that Toumani Diabaté--the world's premiere kora player--first took notice of Vieux, and brought him into his performing ensemble. Recognizing Vieux's gift, Toumani urged Ali to accept his son's chosen path. So Ali entrusted Toumani with the reins of Vieux's career. Under Toumani's guidance, Vieux flourished artistically; he performed in France and South Africa and he even began accompanying his father on guitar. Furthermore, he began to compose stunning pieces that brought new sounds and influences into the tradition of desert blues from Northern Mali.

In 2005, Vieux reconnected with his friend Eric Herman, a North American musician and producer with whom Vieux had played while he was a student at the Arts Institute. Both Vieux and Eric realized that it was time that Vieux record his debut album. They quickly got to work in the studio. Toumani agreed to contribute his awesome talent on two of the tracks. Meanwhile Ali--growing increasingly sick with cancer--offered his final recordings to Vieux's album, an expression of his ultimate approval of his son's path, passing him the torch with which to light his way.

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Vieux Farka Touré in The Boston Phoenix Sep 9, 2008

Basic Elements
The international and roots-music scene heats up
By TED DROZDOWSKI | September 8, 2008

Boston was a world-music stronghold even before the "world music" genre existed. So there's a rich offering of sounds from Africa, South America, …

The Guardian Music Weekly Podcast Sep 2, 2008

Music Weekly - featuring TV on the Radio

"...All that plus the usual feedbackery AND a new featurette too. In an attempt to expand the range of music we cover beyond simply the new and the hot, we're going to profile some of the artists we like who are a …

Vieux Farka Touré on NPR's Mountain Stage & The Afrobeat Blog Jul 11, 2008

Vieux Farka Touré: Of Bamako And Banjos

Listen Now: Vieux Farka Touré on Mountain Stage

"Vieux Farka Toure learned to play guitar by jamming along to recordings of his father, renowned Malian musician Ali Farka Toure. But his music isn't always …

The Independent's 5-Minute Interview May 27, 2008

The 5-Minute Interview: Vieux Farka Touré, Musician

"The guitar virtuoso, 26, is from Niafunke in Mali. His first album, 'Vieux Farka Touré', was released by World Village last year. He is playing the Jazz Café in London next Saturday.

If I weren't talking …

VIDEOS

"ANA" MUSIC VIDEO

OTHER VIDEOS:

"Sangare" Live in Ireland

Covering U2's "Bullet the Blue Sky"

"Bamako Jam"

Stats

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Vieux Farka Touré - Self Titled

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Rodrigo says:

Samedi 29 novembre au local du Paquebot à CHADRON (43) : RODRIGO NO COMMENT (photo video theatre performance post apocalyptique experimental). Debut de la soiree a 21h21.

posted Oct 19, 2008