huh?

Hmmm

I...uh....what?

Rest in peace, you magnificent ex-Farka

/fixed

ahhh...

I wonder if the real John Lee Hooker would take offense to the "African John Lee Hooker"

oh

Never heard of him.

Recycle!

hum...

Good night, funnyman.

Yes, but was he an Uncle Farka?

If you haven't heard it yet, pick up "Talking Timbuktu". It's brilliant.

Who?

This is sad. I really dig African music.

A lot of people don't know it but Bamako is mostly Irish. They say "Bamako, Mali".

He's Farka-d.

That's Mr. Farka to you

/and his mom was called what?

¿Que?

/for the uninitiated

Mudda Farka?

Hey, I bought one of his CDs yesterday!

...Oh, this sucks.

*****after a long fight with bone cancer.*****

What fight.You get cancer and then get really sick and die. Unless the doc starts to cut bits off of you until he says you're cured.

My first submitted with a better headline

/well maybe mot better but my link made sense at least

what a farka'n shame

ROBO-Jesus: Hey, I bought one of his CDs yesterday!

What's a CD?

It's just Africa. If America, or the rest of the industrialized world, actually gave a shiat about Africa, Africans, African culture, or African civilization, maybe we'd spend more money on nation-building than nation-ruining.

Chances are, if you know who this person is, I have never met you.

Why does the link go to the front page of Reuters, where there's currently a pic of Dick Cheney snarling. Or maybe he's smiling, I dunno...

Mine "Africas Farka Toure passes away. Farkas everywhere don't know who he was but we mourn a passing Farka"

Clicky

Is he "celebrity" enough to complete the trifecta? Let's hope so because I heard EVH was looking a little rough these days.

I was lucky enough to see him live twice. His presence was powerfull, so was his music. Do yourselves a favor and sample Talking Timbuktu to see if you feel the groove.

Iz that the big fat dead Hawaiian guy?

"He will be buried in the village where he was born, Niafunke, where he is also the mayor," Malian state radio said.

I've got a few of his albums. Good stuff. He was mayor? I want to know more about that...

Brilliant guitarist. He grew up listening to local music and had never heard rock or blues guitar when he got his first instrument. He fashioned a home made guitar amp out of a radio. He invented his own style of guitar playing to go along with the local styles of music that he knew. It is spooky how close his style/sound is to very early rural American blues and yep it is very John Lee Hookerish in tone.
He made some recordings in a cheap studio and cassettes of that music made it's way into Europe, and UK radio picked up on it and began playing it without knowing a thing about the Toure the man.

Why is every song/album/artist that that has any native Africans playing/writing/involved in any way with it classified as 'world' music?

My only regret is I have.... boneitis.

where he is also the mayor

WAS also the mayor.

And world music is defined that way because you're listening to a western radio station, or looking for it in an album category in a western music store. So its supposedly from outside the sphere of influence of your culture's music. Africans, or Japanese, or Egyptians, or whoever can also call world music whatever they want to as well to differentiate it from their own.

rh75: Is he "celebrity" enough to complete the trifecta? Let's hope so because I heard EVH was looking a little rough these days.

I'd have to rule against this one. Having some permutation of Fark in one's name does not guarantee trifecta-worth.

Also, I'd have to say that while there is a definite area of overlap, that talent/intelligence/etc. and trifecta-worthiness are definitely NOT interchangeable definitions. There are plenty of individuals who have one but not the other......

Go here to hear a track. Ai Du is really good blues.

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=5844 1522

mgraves
Just heard an interesting (U.S.) public radio bit about him. After decades of music and performance, he retired in 2000 and used his life savings to farm in the middle of the Sahara. He fashioned irrigation systems and was able to raise enough rice to feed his entire village of 50+. He raised mangos, some other stuff, and had animals. In gratitude, he gave an interviewer from Boston the gift of a 6-month-old bull (regifted for obvious reasons). This man was nearly single-handedly feeding his village -- he was a shoo-in for mayor.

/if john lee hooker were alive, he wouldn't mind one bit
//good question, Uncle Bester

Dammit. He was really good too. For all those who like his stuff, check out Orchestra Baobab for some EXCELLENT West African mbalax/salsa/blues music. Unbelievable. Barthelemy Atisso is my new favourite guitarist (over Slash!).

*insert Vader "nooooooooooooooooooooooo!"*

I loved Niafunke. It was his best release, IMO.
He was a true leader in Malian music--guys like Koite owe a lot to him.

/none more worthy of a group singing of 'Koulandijan' than Ali

I can tell you I've never had CDs with better resale value than his, except for the 5 Royales "Monkey Hips and Rice." But that was a fluke.

Got "Talking Timbuktu" as a 'disc of the month' that I didn't bother to return. Have never regretted my laziness.

I can't believe there are so many people who have not heard of him.

If you've been in any hipster bar during the last 15 years you have probably heard (and admired his music).

If the bar you are at serves Spaten beer on tap, there is a very high likelihood that one of his CDs is the the jukebox.

I blame steroids.

Too bad. His stuff is really good and he was a genuinely good man. And let's not forget to laud Ry Cooder, perhaps the greatest living American musician. Anyone in here heard "Mambo Sinuendo" yet? Incredible.

Uncle Bester

Why is every song/album/artist that that has any native Africans playing/writing/involved in any way with it classified as 'world' music?

David Byrne wonders the same thing:

http://www.luakabop.com/david_byrne/cmp/worldmusic.html

yes, that David Byrne.

sad to see Toure go, especially since I never got to see him play. Gotta catch BB King this spring before he kicks it too.

/hope I didn't jinx it