Ali Farka - Ali Ibrahim “Farka” Touré (October 31, 1939 – March 7,
2006) was a Malian singer and guitarist, and one of the African continent’s
most internationally renowned musicians. His music is widely regarded as
representing a point of intersection of traditional Malian music and its
North American cousin, the blues. The belief that the latter is historically
derived from the former is reflected in Martin Scorsese’s often quoted
characterization of Touré’s tradition as constituting 'the DNA of the
blues'. Touré was ranked number 76 on Rolling Stone’s list of “The 100
Greatest Guitarists of All Time”.
Biography
He was born in 1939 in the village of Kanau, on the banks of the Niger River
in the cercle of Gourma Rharous in the northwestern Malian region of
Tombouctou. His family moved to the nearby village of Niafunké when he was
still an infant. He was the tenth son of his mother but the only one to
survive past infancy. “The name I was given was Ali Ibrahim, but it’s a
custom in Africa to give a child a strange nickname if you have had other
children who have died”, Touré was quoted as saying in a biography on his
Record Label, World Circuit Records. His nickname, “Farka”, chosen by his
parents, means “donkey”, an animal admired for its tenacity and
stubbornness: “Let me make one thing clear. I’m the donkey that nobody
climbs on!” He was descended from the ancient military force known as the
Arma, and was ethnically tied to the Songrai (Songhai) and Fula peoples of
northern Mali.
As the first African bluesman to achieve widespread popularity on his home
continent, Touré was often known as “the African
John Lee Hooker”. Musically, the many
superpositions of guitars and rhythms in his music were similar to John Lee
Hooker’s hypnotic blues style. He usually sang in one of several African
languages, mostly Songhay, Fulfulde, Tamasheq or Bambara as on his
breakthrough album, Ali Farka Touré, which established his reputation in the
world music community.
His first North American concert was in Harrison Hot Springs, British
Columbia. 1994’s Talking Timbuktu, a collaboration with
Ry Cooder, sold promisingly well in Western
markets, but was followed by a hiatus from releases in America and Europe.
He reappeared in 1999 with the release of Niafunké, a more traditional album
focusing on African rhythms and beats. Touré was the mentor and uncle of
popular Malian musician Afel Bocoum.
Some of Ali Farka Touré’s songs and tunes have been used in different
programmes, films and documentaries. For instance, his guitar riff on the
song “Diaraby”, from the album Talking Timbuktu, was selected for the
Geo-quiz segment of The World PRI-BBC program, and was retained by popular
demand when put to a vote of the listeners. This song is likewise used in
1998 as a soundtrack for the film L’Assedio (Besieged) by the Italian
director Bernardo Bertolucci. His songs Cinquante six, Goye Kur and Hawa
Dolo from the album The Source are also used as a soundtrack in the French
film Fin août, début septembre (Late August, Early September) directed in
1998 by Olivier Assayas.
In 2002 he appeared with Black American blues and reggae performer Corey
Harris, on an album called Mississippi to Mali (Rounder Records). Toure and
Harris also appeared together in Martin Scorsese's 2003 documentary film
Feel Like Going Home, which traced the roots of blues back to its genesis in
West Africa. The film was narrated by Harris and features Ali’s performances
on guitar and njarka.
In 2004 Touré became mayor of Niafunké and spent his own money grading the
roads, putting in sewer canals and fuelling a generator that provided the
impoverished town with electricity.
In September 2005, he released the album In the Heart of the Moon, a
collaboration with Toumani Diabaté, for which he received a second Grammy
award. His last album, Savane, was posthumously released in July 2006. It
was received with wide acclaim by professionals and fans alike and has been
nominated for a Grammy Award in the category “Best Contemporary World Music
Album”. The panel of experts from the World Music Chart Europe (WMCE), a
chart voted by the leading World Music specialists around Europe, chose
Savane as their Album of the Year 2006, with the album topping the chart for
three consecutive months (September to November 2006). The album has also
been listed as No. 1 in the influential Metacritic’s “Best Albums of 2006”
poll, and No. 5 in its all-time best reviewed albums. Ali Farka Touré has
also recently been nominated for the BBC Radio 3 awards 2007.
On March 7, 2006, the Ministry of Culture of Mali announced his death at age
66 in Bamako from bone cancer, against which he had been battling for some
time. His record label, World Circuit, said that he recorded several tracks
with his son, Vieux Farka Touré, for Vieux’s debut album which was released
in late 2006.
