Daily Loaf

Vieux Farka Touré’s father, the late, great Malian musician Ali Farka Touré forbade his son from becoming a musician; he didn’t want Vieux to have to deal with the same problems he’d endured through his career. Instead, Ali encouraged him to become a soldier. In the end, music won out as Vieux was always drawn to it.

After listening to a track or two, you’ll realize he made the right decision.

Vieux grew up in Niafunké (located in the Sahara desert) and the Malian capital Bamako, where learned to play percussion, calabash (a dried gourd drum) and drums, in spite of his father’s opposition. Beginning in 1999, Vieux studied guitar at the National Arts Institute in Bamako. During this time, he become a local celebrity who wrote his own music and performed energetic, stylistic live shows — proof that he is his father’s son.

Soon after, he became part of the back-up group for Toumani Diabaté, who urged Ali to finally give his son his blessing and encourage his musical talent. During this time, Vieux further developed his stage presence and gained valuable international experience.

Vieux’s critically acclaimed self-titled debut solo album was released online in the fall of 2006 and features his father (in what became the final recordings of his career) and Toumani on several tracks.

Vieux released his second LP, Fondo (The Road), this past May 12, which the London Times called “a contender come the end-of-year roundups.”

Had his father had his way, Vieux’s music career likely would have never happened and Vieux stands proof that the “soul of the blues” can come out of West Africa.

Click here for Vieux’s website and here for his Myspace page. Click here to listen to a July 8, 2008 set recorded on Mountain Stage by NPR. Click here to listen to an NPR All Things Considered story that originally aired June 30, 2009. Click here to listen to an album review written by NPR’s Day to Day, airing February 16, 2007. Click here for a bunch of high quality youtube videos.

Check here to see if Vieux Farka Touré has any gigs scheduled near you.

As always, please buy this album from your local independent music store by people who know and love music and not from retailers like Wal-Mart (soulless, globally-homogenizing, community-killers) or i-tunes (albums should be listened to as an entire composition with album cover and liner notes in hand).  Incidentally, these two companies sell more music than any other retailer in the United States.  That my friend, bites.

Vieux Farka Touré rocks…

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