SAMBA TOURÉ: PLAYS THE ALI FARKA TOURÉ SONGBOOK

Join Malian guitar legend Samba Touré as he plays the songbook of his mentor, Ali Farka Touré.

Touré's music is characterised by hypnotic guitar grooves radiating with the intensity of the desert sun. It transcends borders, creating an authentic and ground-breaking sonic landscape where tradition meets innovation.

Their association dates back to the 1990s, when Ali Farka Touré discovered the young singer playing with Farafina Lolo. Impressed, he gave Samba a guitar and encouraged him towards more traditional music — a mentorship that produced Samba's debut album Fondo, and a career that has since taken him from Roskilde to Paradiso.

His most recent album, Baarakelaw (The Workers), pays tribute to the water sellers, tailors and housekeepers of Bamako: the people who hold a city together and are rarely sung about. Inspired by Malian society, its message travels a long way further.

Come for the guitar, stay for the songs behind it.

PART OF SONGLINES ENCOUNTERS

The curation of Songlines Encounters is supported by the 1900 Building.

This event will include an interval.

Tickets: £20–£25

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