2026 marks twenty years since Ali Farka Touré passed away. To honour his mentor’s musical legacy, Samba Touré Trio tours with a programme drawn from Ali Farka’s songbook – classics and connoisseur favourites.
The two guitarists share a bond that runs deeper than their shared surname. Samba’s mother sang with Ali Farka early in his career, and Samba himself was taken under the great man’s wing as a young musician playing with the Farafina Lolo Band back home in Mali. Ali Farka handed him a guitar and encouraged him to explore more traditional Malian music. Since that first meeting, master and apprentice toured the world together, and Samba has since carved out his own legacy as one of the foremost artists on Mali’s rich blues scene. His blend of hypnotic delta blues, traditional Songhai themes and Western influences builds on and extends Ali Farka Touré’s heritage – where Bamako meets Mississippi.
“One of the undisputed musical heirs of the great Ali Farka Touré is Samba Touré,” notes Sentitreff.
When Toumani Diabaté paid tribute to Ali Farka Touré some fifteen years ago, Samba was the obvious choice on guitar. Now he sets out on his own tribute tour. In Samba’s own words: “For that very special tour, we won’t become a tribute band but a band who pays tribute!”
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Samba Touré – guitar, vocals
Djimé Sissoko – ngoni, tamani
Souleymane Kane – calabash
