Vieux Farka Touré - Samba - 2017 - Mali

When the producers of Woodstock Sessions, a hybrid / live recording series in Saugerties, NY, asked Malian guitarist and vocalist Vieux Farka Touré to stop in 2015, he didn't have enough time to make it happen. Intrigued, he promised to return the following year. Keeping his word, the result of that incredible session is now Touré's new album, Samba.

Samba's ten songs are new. Given Touré's natural musical curiosity, the mix of Malian blues and songs of praise, funk, reggae and rock make this his most mature and rounded effort to date. The live element, where Touré stands out as an interpreter, shines on all tracks, although the band stopped when they wanted to change something. This was not your average performance.

"It was not a regular study session or a concert," Touré says. "I was somewhere in between. We were recording the album, but we had an audience of about fifty people in the room with us. The audience understood that it was to witness the process of recording an album, not to present a concert in a studio, which was very good because we had the energy of a live concert with the quality of a studio recording. It was an interesting idea, but I didn't know how it was going. Fortunately everything was perfect. There was a great atmosphere there for the session and we were able to capture this unique energy for the album. ”

Touré fans will rejoice over the quality and energy of this fantastic album. His solos are exceptional. The hypnotic grooves that his band creates allow him to let go with a sense of ease and grace.

Samba means "second born", his place in his family, which of course went to the legendary Mali artist Ali Farka Touré. While many cultures grant the first position of a family to the firstborn, he is the second child who is often conferred with power in the tradition of Touré. "Samba is one that never breaks, that never runs from threats, that is not afraid," Touré says. "It is said that Samba is blessed with good luck."

In recent months, Touré has traveled through Australia and China to spread its energetic and magnificent evolution of the Malian blues. Now he is returning to where he built his name, with tours in the United States and Europe planned for 2017.