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Biography
Infobox musical artist|name = Ali Farka Touré|image = Ali Farka Toure.jpg|background = solo_singer|birth_name = Ali Ibrahim Touré|alias =|birth_date = Birth date|1939|10|31|birth_place = Timbuktu , Mali |death_date = Death date and age|2006|3|7|1939|10|31|death_place = Bamako , Mali |origin = Niafunké , Mali |instrument = Singing|Vocals , Guitar , Cabasa , Njarka |genre = Blues Music of Mali|Malian Folk Folk music|Folk |label = World Circuit (record label)|World Circuit |associated_acts = Ali Ibrahim “Farka” Touré (October 31, 1939 & ndash; March 7, 2006) was a Mali an singer and guitar ist, and one of the Africa n continent’s most internationally renowned musicians. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4782176.stm African star Ali Farka Toure dies , BBC News d.d. March 7, 2006. Retrieved online from http://www.bbc.co.uk/ BBC Online d.d. September 22, 2009. His music is widely regarded as representing a point of intersection of traditional Music of Mali|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".Global South: http://sephisemagazine.org/contemporary-south/our-homage-to-a-great-master-ali-farka-toure.html Our Homage To A Great Master - Ali Farka Toure Touré was ranked number 76 on Rolling Stone ’s list of “The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time”. Rolling Stone Magazine : http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/5937559/the_100_greatest_guitarists_of_all_time/38The 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 (French colonial)|cercle of Gourma Rharous in the northwestern Malian region of Tombouctou Region|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”, http://www.worldcircuit.co.uk//includes/downloadpdf.php? artistid=11& pdf=Ali_farka_Toure_biog.pdf Biography on World Circuit (record label)|World Circuit (Original text by Lucy Duran (updated by Nick Gold & Dave McGuire)) Touré was quoted as saying in a biography on his Record Label, World Circuit (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!” Ethnically, he was part Songhai people|Songrai part Fula people|Fula .
As the first African bluesman to achieve widespread popularity on his home continent, Touré was often known as “the African John Lee Hooker ”. BBC : http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/worldmusic/a4wm2007/2007_ali_farka_toure.shtml ALI FARKA TOURÉ (MALI) 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 languages|Songhay , Fula language|Fulfulde , Tuareg languages|Tamasheq or Bambara language|Bambara as on his breakthrough album, Ali Farka Touré (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 Citation needed|date=January 2010. 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 (album)|Niafunké , a more traditional album focusing on African rhythms and beats. Touré was the mentor and uncle of popular Malian musician Afel Bocoum Citation needed|date=January 2010.
Some of Ali Farka Touré’s songs and tunes have been used in different programmes, films and documentaries. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0869708/ Ali Farka Touré at imdb For instance, his guitar riff on the song “Diaraby”, from the album Talking Timbuktu , was selected for the Geo-quiz segment of The World (radio program)|The World Public Radio International|PRI - BBC World Service|BBC program, and was retained by popular demand when put to a vote of the listeners. http://www.theworld.org/tag/ali-farka-toure/ PRI's the World: Music Heard on Air for January 7, 2010 This song is likewise used in 1998 as a soundtrack for the film Besieged (film)|L’Assedio ( Besieged ) by the Italian director Bernardo Bertolucci Citation needed|date=January 2010. 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 aoűt, début septembre ( Late August, Early September ) directed in 1998 by Olivier Assayas . The song "Lasidan" was featured in the award winning documentary " Sharkwater " by Rob Stewart .
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 (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”Citation needed|date=January 2010. 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).World Music Chart Europe: http://www.wmce.de/? chartUrlMonth=10& chartUrlYear=2006 Charts The album has also been listed as No. 1 in the influential Metacritic ’s “Best Albums of 2006” poll, Metacritic : http://www.metacritic.com/music/bests/2006.shtml Best of 2006 and No. 5 in its all-time best reviewed albums. Metacritic : http://www.metacritic.com/music/bests/ All-Time High And Low ScoresAli Farka Touré has also recently been nominated for the BBC Radio 3 awards 2007. BBC : http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/worldmusic/a4wm2007/ Radio 3 Awards for World Music 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 2006Citation needed|date=January 2010.
Cultural references
In the French film The Spanish Apartment (2002) two characters are seen playing air guitar to “Ai Du”.
In the movie Unfaithful (2002 film)|Unfaithful (2002), Diane Lane and Olivier Martinez slow dance to “Ai Du”.
In the French film Irma Vep (1996), Maggie Cheung and Nathalie Richard ride an old motorcycle down the quay to Touré’s song “Soukoura”.
In the 2005 travel film Michael Palin: SAHARA , his music is heard in a scene about Nigerian nomads.Citation needed|date=January 2010
" The World (radio program)|The World ", a radio show distributed by Public Radio International , uses the song "Diaraby" as the theme to their Geoquiz. The song is a collaboration between Touré and Ry Cooder ; the song is featured on their Talking Timbuktu album.
In 2008, Zack de la Rocha 's lyrics from "If You Fear Dying" on One Day as a Lion 's debut album references Ali: "I'm in with the spirit of Ali Touré, as I target more heads than a priest on Ash Wednesday ."Citation needed|date=January 2010
Discography
1976 - Ali Touré Farka (Sonafric 50016-LP)
1976 - Spécial « Biennale du Mali » (Sonafric 50020-LP)
2010 - Ali and Toumani - ( World Circuit / Nonesuch Records ) with Toumani Diabaté http://www.nonesuch.com/albums/ali-and-toumani News Nonesuch Records.
See also
African fingerstyle guitar
African music
Filmography
2002 - ''Ali Farka Touré - Le miel n'est jamais bon dans une seule bouche'' - a documentary film by Marc Huraux http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0324978/ Ali Farka Touré - Le miel n'est jamais bon dans une seule bouche on imdb
"A Visit to Ali Farka Toure" was released on DVD in the UK by Digital Classics DVD .
I'll Sing for You 2001
References
reflist
Gerhard Kubik|Kubik, Gerhard (1999). Africa and the Blues . Jackson, Mississippi: University Press of Mississippi. ISBN 1-57806-145-8 (hardcover); ISBN 1-57806-146-6 (paperback).
Peter Guralnick|Guralnick, Peter , ed. (2003). Martin Scorsese Presents the Blues: A Musical Journey . A companion book to the PBS documentary series Martin Scorsese Presents the Blues: A Musical Journey . Foreword by Alex Gibney; afterword by Chuck D. New York: Amistad.
External links
http://www.worldcircuit.co.uk/#Ali_Farka_Toure Official website
http://www.myspace.com/alifarkatoure Official page on MySpace
http://alifarkatoure.absy.com/index.html Fondation Ali Farka Touréfr icon
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php? storyId=15401972 Ali Farka Touré at NPR Music
http://www.davidhanks.com/alifarkatoure/index.html A Thorough Discography (click on the images for more info. and sample music)
http://www.documen.tv/asset/Ali_Farka_Toure_film.html "ALI FARKA TOURE, springing from the roots " 1999 Documentary 52'
Persondata|NAME=Touré, Ali Farka |ALTERNATIVE NAMES= |SHORT DESCRIPTION=Malian singer and guitarist |DATE OF BIRTH=October 31, 1939 |PLACE OF BIRTH=Kanau, Timbuktu , Mali |DATE OF DEATH=March 6, 2006 |PLACE OF DEATH= Bamako , Mali DEFAULTSORT:Toure, Ali Farka Category:1939 births Category:2006 deaths Category:Deaths from bone cancer Category:Blues guitarists Category:Malian guitarists Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Cancer deaths in Mali Category:World Circuit artists Category:Malian musicians Category:Bambara-language singers
