Influenced for decades by western
rock, Tinariwen, members of the
nomadic culture of northern Mali, traded-in traditional stringed instruments for
electric guitars to accompany their ornate vocal style.
Vieux Farka Touré, son of Mali's legendary guitarist Ali, combines the guitar style
of his father with a passion for Western sounds; a
reflection of spare, trancelike blues integrated with influences of reggae and
rock.
"[Tinariwen's] language may be foreign to us, but
anyone enamored of the blues hypnotism of John Lee Hooker or even Keith
Richards -- let alone late Malian guitar star Ali Farka Toure -should warm to
the band's rumbling grooves and jagged, circular riffs." - The Star-Ledger
Tinariwen
Vieux Farka Touré:
tba$40, $35, $30, $25; GW Students: limited $15 tickets at the Lisner Box Office
