Sidi Touré

Sidi Touré is a highly acclaimed practitioner of Songhaï Music with two Malian National Arts Awards for best singer. Touré led Gao’s regional orchestra, The Songhaï Stars, prior to going out on his own. In 2011, he released Sahel Folk, his debut album for Thrill Jockey, touring North America and Europe for the first time. For his fourth release, Toubalbero (a big traditional drum used to call and gather people in Gao) Touré has created a danceable, dynamic, and joyous album played with some of the most exiting new faces on the Mailian music scene. A revered leader who has his feet deep in the Northern Mali music tradition has created an album, despite the region’s significant political challenges, that brims with optimism.