Bombino - Azel - 2016 - Niger

 

"I finally ran into Bombino last fall, walking into the sprawling barn studio in upstate New York where we'd like to record Bombino's third studio album, Azel. There she was, relaxing on the couch, chatting in Tamasheq with his bandmates behind a barely perceptible smile.wearing a blue bubu, the traditional Tuareg formal dress, and nodding along as he played from the studio's stately Genelecs.Although he speaks Tamasheq, Arabic, and French, he rarely Instead he speaks at all. Instead, he plays the guitar."

In an interview with Rolling Stone magazine, Bombino comments on what it's like working with Longstreth compared to his experience working with the Black Keys' Dan Auerbach (who produced Nomad):

I would say it was more relaxed than working with Dan. Dan had a clear idea of ​​what he wanted right away and would lead us this way and that way until he had registered what he already had in his head. With Dave who was very happy to be patient, and listen to what we were playing, not push one way or the other, and then slowly, over days, he would start to shape things the way he wanted. I was very happy with the way Dave worked, because working with Tuareg music and musicians can be very complicated. We are not like American musicians in many ways. Our skills and knowledge are very different from western musicians. And of course our language and culture is also very different. So this can be quite a challenge, but Dave handled it very gracefully. He would hang out with us, have dinner with us and joke around. We've had a lot of fun together. Actually, it was a beautiful time.

The word "Azel" has three meanings in the native Bombino Tamasheq language-first, it is the name of a small desert town a few kilometers from where he grew up, in Agadez, Niger. His wife's family is from Azel, and it is the site of the first and only Tuareg school in the country. Bombino has long held aspirations to develop a Tuareg arts school and community center in Agadez, and the city of Asel holds a special place in his heart. Second, the word azel means the roots or stems of a tree. This album is a reflection of Bombino's unique place in Tuareg music in that he simultaneously honors the traditional roots of the music while still taking on entirely new territory, thus roots and stems. Lastly, the word azel is also Tamasheq slang, loosely equivalent to 'it's my chance!' In American English. The importance of that meaning should be immediately obvious to anyone who listens to this album.

01 Akhar Zaman (This Moment)

02 Iwaranagh (We Must)

03 Inar (If You Know The Degree Of My Love For You)

04 Tamiditine Tarhanam (My Love, I Tell You)

05 Timtar (Memories)

06 Iyat Ninhay / Jaguar (A Great Desert I Saw)

07 Igmayagh Dum (My Lover)

08 Ashuhada (Martyrs Of The First Rebellion)

09 Timidiwa (Friendship)

10 Naqqim Dagh Timshar (We Are Left In This Abandoned Place)