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Vieux Quartet Toure a Malian singer in traditional wear holding his guitar.

Utzon Music 2023 Vieux Farka Touré

2 March 2023

In the Utzon Room

Classical Music

From the Sahara to the Emerald City – Vieux brings the hypnotic rhythms of his recent album Les Racines to the Utzon Room for a mesmerising Sydney Opera House debut.

Vieux’s dazzling guitar prowess has earned him the sobriquet ‘the Hendrix of the Sahara’.

The Independent

A proud musician-ambassador returning to his roots

Fans of Vieux Farka Touré, “the Hendrix of the Sahara”, have been eagerly waiting for him to return since his previous Australian tour in 2017. The pandemic might have kept him at home in Mali, but he’s been busy recording. Vieux collaborated with Texan trio Khruangbin for the 2022 full-length album Ali, named in tribute to his late father. And for his Sydney Opera House debut, Vieux’s trio will introduce songs from his recent album, Les Racines.

Les Racines saw Vieux literally returning to his roots and the Desert Blues style inherited from his father, who famously bridged the traditions of West African song and Afro-American blues guitar. At the same time, Vieux has developed his own take on the virtuoso guitar style, in which the right hand plays both bass and melody while setting up a hypnotic call-and-response between guitar and laidback vocals.

Vieux’s transcendent music-making speaks of ancient culture and contemporary spirit. It’s haunting and introspective and yet it dances with joy. It’s impossible to listen to his beguiling, rhythmically intricate grooves and not be completely lost in his world, where music is central to existence. 

Sydney Opera House Presents

The son of seminal musician Ali Farka Touré, Vieux is a powerhouse in his own right who continues to shape Mali's musical identity. I know Vieux and his trio will be best experienced up close in this magical space.

A note from Casey Green, Utzon Music Curator

Artist Information

Vieux Farka Touré 
Guitar and vocals

Marshall Henry
Bass

Adama Kone
Percussion

Vieux Farka Touré will perform songs from his extraordinary back catalogue and his acclaimed 2022 album Les Racines.

 

Other information

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