Vieux Farka Toure has created a legacy through his eight albums, numerous highly acclaimed collaborations, and an ability to move his audience through electrifying live performances. Infused with the traditional sounds of Mali, jazz and blues, his music speaks to a wide audience. MARIE-CLAIRE DE VILLIERS chats to him before his performance at the Cape Town World Music Festival tonight at 8pm on the main stage.
YOUR music is very varied, from ethereal and acoustic romances to bouncy dance songs to pensive and interactive poetry about your country. In some of your songs, the rhythms are very distinctive. Can you tell us a little about the traditional rhythm patterns in Mali?
Yes, there are many different traditional rhythms in Mali. Each ethnicity has its own traditional rhythms. I often use a rhythm called takamba, which is a very famous rhythm from the north of Mali. I like to use Western rhythms as well and mix with our rhythms. For me, it’s interesting to test the boundaries of different traditions and see what will create something new.
Where and how do you write songs? What brings on a writing session?
Usually I will just be playing the guitar without anything in mind and a new idea will just come out of my fingers. Sometimes, but this is more rare, I will get an idea for a melody even when I am not near a guitar and I will write down lyrics for a whole new song before I have tried it on the guitar.
If you had another life, what other instrument would you like to learn?
Maybe next I would like to learn the piano. I can play drums, and bass is a lot like guitar, so piano is the next one for me.
What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced with your music or your musical journey in last year’s album and over the last few months?
The biggest challenge for me is to support my family. I have a very, very, very big family with a lot of demands on me as the head of the household. So I feel a lot of pressure from this and there are always things happening back in Mali when I am on tour, and when I am not on tour there is pressure to be working more. So this is my biggest challenge.
Over the last few years, you have done some collaborations which have been hailed as some of the best yet in world music. What draws you to these projects? How is the experience different from the experience you have working on your own?
I love to work with artists who are very different from myself. For me it is a great challenge. My music is a very specific kind of music but also very accessible for other musicians, so there is a lot of opportunity to do new and interesting things with blending the music. Toure-Raichel Collective is a great example of this. I love to just try things and have new experiences with different artists and see what happens.
What was one of the best concert experiences you’ve had?
I will have to say playing the stage at the World Cup in Johannesburg was the best concert experience of my life. It was like a dream. When I think back on it I still can’t believe it really happened.
What is the strangest place you have ever played?
I played a show in the middle of a forest a couple of years ago near Portland in the US. The stage was made of logs and branches. It was very strange but very cool. Imagine, playing desert blues in the middle of a dense forest.
You must have a lot of “groupies” in Mali. How do the ladies respond to your music and performances?
Haha! Ladies and men equally respond very well in Mali. I think maybe the men are even more excited at our concerts.
This is not your first time in South Africa – did you get to travel a little? What would you still like to see or experience here?
I have toured a couple of times in South Africa before. You have a very beautiful country. I have heard that to drive along the coast is one of the most beautiful trips in the world, so I look forward to doing that one day.
Many South Africans haven’t listened to a lot of music from Mali. Could you give beginners a listening guide? Who are some of your favourite artists or bands? Please give us a top five.
Ali Farka Toure, Toumani Diabate, Oumou Sangare, Afel Bocoum, Khaira Arby.
At the Cape Town World Music Festival Concert, will you be playing your latest releases? Do you have any unexpected twists in mind?
Yes I will play a lot of new material and some older material as well. Of course, I will have some surprises, but if I tell you now they cease to be a surprise. So I will keep my mouth shut.
l The Cape Town World Music Festival runs at City Hall tonight and tomorrow. Performance times are tonight from 6pm. Tomorrow there will be workshops from 10.30am to 4.30pm, followed by live music from 4.30pm. Tonight’s line-up on the Main Stage includes Ottoman Slap, Carlo Mombelli, Uruguay, Los Tacos and The Brother Moves On. The Seated Stage features Bongeziwe and Derek Gripper. The Electronic Stage features Miss H, Okmalumkoolkat Live and Jakobsnake. Tomorrow sees Jam You, The Tulips, Ras Haitrim, Beatenberg, Mynahbirds (USA) and Thandiswa Mazwai, and DJ Clock featuring Beatenberg on the Main Stage. Guy Buttery, Sannie Fox and Madala Kunene appear on the Seated Stage. The Electronic Stage features DJ Mighty, DJ Clock and Danger Ingozi. Weekend tickets are available for R280 at www.ctwmf. com and Computicket.