Vieux Farka Touré gig review: Malian master brings Bamako to London

Touré and his West African trio play in a faster, more contemporary style than his late father, Ali Farka Touré, but they still drew plenty of cheers
Lyrical solos: guitar dominated Touré's sound
Ilka Schlockermann
Simon Broughton17 November 2017

A few bluesy notes on acoustic guitar lead us into the sharp crack of a stick on an upturned calabash plus an electric bass and Vieux Farka Touré is straight into the seductive sound of his West African trio. He swops acoustic guitar for electric guitar for most of the set and percussionist, Mamadou Kone, moves onto a drum kit, but Vieux is a masterful performer, smiling, relaxed and having fun.

Vieux is son of one of the great legends of Malian music, singer and guitarist, Ali Farka Touré, who died in 2006 and commemorated with a statue in the Malian capital Bamako. Vieux’s career only took off after his father’s death, but he’s moved out of his shadow to create a different music – not searing West African blues, but a faster, more contemporary style. Much of the music in the Jazz Cafe show came from his most recent album, Samba, his fifth solo release. But he also played Ali, a tribute to his father, and two Ali’s songs, Diaraby and Walaidu – the latter a slow-paced blues that drew cheers from the fans who clearly recognised it.

Vieux has a fine voice, but it’s the guitar that dominates his compositions, with lyrical solos that also sing amidst the luxurious flurry of notes. On stage, the trio are very animated, with Vieux having dynamic musical dialogues with bassist Valery Assouan.

It felt like a capacity crowd at the Jazz Cafe and it was breathtakingly hot and difficult to see, but that was like a rare taste of Bamako in London on Friday night.

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