West Africa

Thirty-five years after first hearing each other at the Institute for Young Blind in Bamako, Mali, and eight years after their Manu Chao-produced album Dimanche à Bamako thrust them into the global limelight with its sunny charm and irresistible  grooves, Amadou & Mariam and their band are finally appearing in Minneapolis to give a rare, small club performance at The Cedar, copresented with the Walker Art Center, and Sue McLean and Associates.  

Yemen Blues is a nine-member Sephardic music ensemble, which has recently taken the international music scene by storm. Founded by Israeli bassist Omer Avital and Israeli-Yemenite singer Ravid Kahalani, this band is an original and fascinating synergy of traditional Yemenite melodies and the world of blues, jazz and funk. Flavors of its West African roots swirl through enhanced modern compositions to create a breathtaking experience—a mixture of beautiful, complex grooves with an amazing live energy. Yemen Blues has captivated audiences around the globe. Don’t miss this rare opportunity to experience Yemen Blues in their first Twin Cities appearance.

The Cedar is now fully air-conditioned for your year-round comfort!

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For their new album Tassili (Anti-, Aug 30, 2011), Tinariwen returns to the roots of their music, with only acoustic guitars and un-amplified percussion. Appropriately, recording sessions were held outside in the South-Eastern Algerian desert, with guests Tunde Adebimpe and Kyp Malone (TV On The Radio) joining in. Later, guitarist Nels Cline (Wilco) and the horns of the Dirty Dozen Brass Band also contributed, creating an album that reaches deep into the essence of Tinariwen's sound while simultaneously opening itself to the surrounding world. The world is responding enthusiastically, with Tinariwen booked to play venues all over the world in the latter half of 2011. We're thrilled to welcome Tinariwen back to The Cedar for this special Thanksgiving weekend concert! Read more »

The return of Malian n'goni master Bassekou Kouyaté with his band Ngoni ba! As anyone will remember who was at his April 2010 show at The Cedar, Bassekou's concert was one of the year's most rousing. In the intervening time, Bassekou has continued to push the limits for his chosen instrument, a predecessor of the banjo, with unexpected and exhilarating results. His collaborations with Bela Fleck have continued, and he also contributed to the acclaimed recording AfroCubism, which paired renowned Malian and Cuban musicians as had been originally intended for the Buena Vista Social Club recording project.

The Cedar is now fully air-conditioned for your year-round comfort!

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One of the true stars to rise from the African continent, Senegalese master musician Baaba Maal has been making music for the world to enjoy for nearly two decades. Renowned for his fiery vocal performances and his musical fusion of western sounds with the traditional beats and melodies of West Africa, Baaba Maal has earned immense critical acclaim and has continually reinforced his role as a seminal artist in the world music arena. His work has also extended beyond music and into the realms of humanitarian spokesperson through his role as youth emissary for the United Nation's Development Program and his outspoken stances on HIV/AIDS in Africa, the growing role of women on the continent and his support of youth-based initiatives to help Africa move into the new millennium. Read more »

The first night of Global Roots Festival 2011 celebrates the rich musical traditions of Mali.

Guitarist Sidi Touré's music is a droning type of Songhai blues, somewhat similar to the music of Ali Farka Touré (no apparent direct relation). His album Sahel Folk was released in 2011 on Thrill Jockey. He will be performing first tonight, in a mostly acoustic trio.

Chamber Music is a duo conversation between Malian Ballaké Sissoko on kora, and French trip-hop cellist Vincent Segal. The music has been described as a work of quiet beauty and soulful simplicity.

This event is FREE! Cedar donors will have the option of early admission (6.45pm). Seated show.

After playing before a billion people with his 2010 World Cup performance in Johannesburg, South Africa, it should be no sweat for Malian guitarist and singer Vieux Farka Touré to connect with a few hundred fans at The Cedar. Vieux's hot new album The Secret (Six Degrees) features collaborations with guitar greats Derek Trucks and John Scofield, a vocal contribution from Dave Matthews and Vieux’s final collaboration with his legendary father, Ali Farka Touré, but it is Vieux's own contributions that shine brightest. When you hear that guitar rip over those blues progressions, when you hear the electric buzz of his rock-influenced solos, you simply become engulfed in the music.

The Cedar is now fully air-conditioned for your year-round comfort!

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Like all the finest African bands, Staff Benda Bilili’s swirling complexity removes the option to do anything but dance … Havana cantina, Kinshasa slum, psychedelic club, or London arts centre—this crack outfit would tear the roof off anywhere.”— Independent 

It’s a rare artist who can take the U.S. music media and SXSW by storm while garnering profound respect as a cultural leader in her homeland. And it’s even rarer when that artist can keep true to her deep desert roots while standing out in front of a contemporary rock quartet. Malian singer Khaira Arby meets the challenge without missing a beat, and has been recognized as "the best Malian musical artist of the past 50 years" (Mali's Tamani d'Or award citation, April 2011) and as “one of Africa’s greatest singers" (New York Times, Mar 2011).

Heralded as the new golden voice of Senegal, Abdou Guité Seck brings his soulful, peace-loving music to the West Bank! Dance the night away with the infectious Senegalese mbalax beats...

Ticket options and info

• On sale date: noon Fri Apr 8
• Phone: 612-338-2674 ext 2 ($1 fee per ticket)
• In person: From a Cedar volunteer in the front lobby before and after shows (no fee), Depth of Field (no fee), or Electric Fetus (small fee)
• Online: Ticketweb (fees apply) (click on red Buy Tickets button at top of this page)
• All Cedar shows are all ages.
• Students with ID may gain discounted admission for tickets at the door.