Tuesday’s Tune looks at North African rock band formed in 1979, Tinariwen. Born out of the desire to recreate the guitar sound he heard in American Western movies, lead band member Ibrahim Ag Alhabib hand-made his own version of the six stringed instrument out of an old tin can and taught him self to play. It […]
Tuesday’s Tune: Tinariwen ‘Tenere Taqhim Tossam’
Tuesday’s Tune looks at North African rock band formed in 1979, Tinariwen. Born out of the desire to recreate the guitar sound he heard in American Western movies, lead band member Ibrahim Ag Alhabib hand-made his own version of the six stringed instrument out of an old tin can and taught him self to play. It wasn’t until the early 2000’s when the band started to tour that they were exposed to the American blues sound. Some feat considering the band has been described as “the most rock’n’roll of them all.”
Tinariwen play and dedicate their songs to the people of the Sahara Desert region of northern Mali, rich with political lyrics, sung in their native tongue, of both protest and harmony. I went to see Tinariwen play live earlier this year at the International Arts Festival in Wellington, less two of the original band members as they were stuck in Mali, fighting in the Civil War, they were amazing.
Below is the official video for Tinariwen song Tenere Taqhim Tossam, featuring front man Tunde Adebimpe & guitarist Kyp Malone from TV on the Radio, off the album Tassili. Directed by Patrick Votan. Edited by Penda Houzangbe.
Enjoy x
