Vieux Farka Touré brings timeless Malian guitar music to the York Theatre, February 23
Virtuoso performs tracks off his two 2022 albums, including Khruangbin collab Ali, an homage to his late father Ali Farka Touré
Vieux Farka Touré. Photo by Lassi Koné
BlueShore at CapU and The Cultch present Vieux Farka Touré at the York Theatre on February 23 from 7:30 to 9:30 pm
IF YOU CAN GET YOUR HANDS on some tickets to Vieux Farka Touré’s sold-out show at the York Theatre, you’re in for a treat—the Malian guitarist, dubbed the Hendrix of the Sahara, is performing stellar works from his latest albums.
The two 2022 records, Ali and Les Racines (French for “the roots”), each take distinctly different directions from each other and from the virtuoso’s previous projects. His past albums play with reggae and dub-reggae effects, interweaving diverse notes of rock, funk, Latin, and dance-remix influences. Here, he veers towards the sounds of his birthplace of Niafunké, Mali, in some of his most mesmerizing tunes to date.
Ali is an homage to Touré’s late father, internationally renowned Malian singer-musician Ali Farka Touré, made in collaboration with Texas-based psychedelic-jazz-fusion trio Khruangbin. Touré covers his father’s songs on the album; the result is a deeply personal output of layered, traditional sounds that’s certainly easy on the ears.
In Les Racines, timeless grooves blend with fiery urgency in tracks that draw upon traditional West African music. Touré calls for peace amid civil war in “Ngala Kaourene”, and expresses tenderness in love song “Flany Konare”.
Over the past decade, Touré has continued to build a name for himself with his musical prowess. In 2010, he performed at the first-ever FIFA World Cup Kick-Off concert alongside the likes of Shakira, Alicia Keys, and the Black Eyed Peas, and he has received much critical praise for his sizable discography.
A rhythm section will back Touré at his upcoming February 23 concert. The evening is a copresentation by The Cultch and BlueShore at CapU.
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