Vieux Farka Touré

On August 15th, the audience can experience the rich desert blues heritage of Mali with the sensational guitarist Vieux Farka Touré—at the peak of his career!

For all fans of the trio Khruangbin, who blend many international styles with psychedelia, soul, dub, and rock, or the Tuareg legends Tinariwen—this concert is the highlight of autumn.

The Malian guitarist Vieux Farka Touré has embarked on a musical journey, arriving at the very origin with the album Les Racines, which means "The Roots". With this album, Touré embraces the legacy of his father, Ali Farka Touré, and the traditional Songhai music from northern Mali, which Touré senior made famous worldwide.

“An exquisite return to the Malian source... an album that places Mali as a musical powerhouse in the international spotlight. Outstanding!” - The Guardian

“Filled to the brim with love” - OkayAfrica

The album also represents a full-circle story in terms of the record label, as World Circuit, the label Les Racines was recorded on, is the same one that his father Ali Farka Touré recorded on from 1988 until the end of his career.

“It is important for me and the Malian people to stay connected with our roots and our history,” Vieux stated on the occasion of the release of Les Racines.

About Vieux’s live performance with Les Racines in Phoenix, USA: “Amazingly fast and precise riffing, expressive notes played on both acoustic and electric guitar showcased with impressive fingerpicking.” - antiMusic

Since Vieux Farka Touré last performed at Cosmopolite in 2016, he has also released the album “Ali” with the Texas trio Khruangbin. “Ali” is a tribute to his father, and the songs are reinterpretations of some of Touré senior's best-received tracks.

Elton John was quick to feature the music on his show Rocket Hour and stated:

“This is one of the albums of the year. It’s fantastic—the whole album. Please go out and buy it; it’s just wonderful music.”

Line up:

Vieux Farka Touré – guitar and vocal
Adama Kone – drums and calabash
Marshall Henry – bass

The concert is a part of Oslo Jazzfestival