Barbara B. Smith World Music Series Presents: Vieux Farka Touré

Often referred to as “The Hendrix of the Sahara”, Vieux Farka Touré was born in Niafunké, Mali in 1981. He is the son of legendary Malian guitar player Ali Farka Touré, who died in 2006. In 2022, he released a long-awaited collaborative album with the Houston-based psych-rock superstars, Khruangbin called Ali - an album on which the artists join forces to pay homage to Ali Farka Touré by reimagining eight of his songs together. The album was an instant hit around the globe, immediately getting millions of streams, enormous critical acclaim and even earning the praise of Sir Elton John who called it "one of the albums of the year - absolutely wonderful music."