Sunny, fresh spring days like these make me want to grab my Nishiki and ride out to -- screw work -- dappled country roads. For this kind of idyllic impetuousity, one could ask for no better soundtrack than the thoroughly African, thoroughly rock 'n' roll riffs of Vieux Farka Touré, heir apparent to the dad Ali Farka Touré's indigo Malian blues throne.<!--break-->
To mark the release of The Secret, a recent relase featuring traditional African instruments like the n'goni and vocal stylings by -- Dave Matthews? (He is -- South -- African, after all, and Touré calls his voice "diabolical," which we hope is a good thing.) Touré is making a much-anticipated voyage to the Bay Area that will kick off this weekend with a concert at the Independent (Sun/15). But perhaps most exciting of all, he'll be teaching an African blues guitar master class the next day at St. Cyprian's Church. Crib some of his skills and you can be on the guest list for my next backroads cruise (does your six string fit in your pannier?).
We caught him via electronic mail for a chat about teaching, and having a kickass dad.
San Francisco Bay Guardian: I'm interested in this guitar class you're giving next week. What can you really teach someone in a single day about playing an instrument?
Vieux Farka Touré: Of course I can't teach more than the basic idioms of playing Malian blues. But I can show some basic styles and methods that open up the guitar to African style improvisation. There are several differences, technical and mental, between playing African music and Western music. So we'll explore those difference and I'll offer a few "secrets."
SFBG: Have you taught many other classes? Why do you spend time teaching?
VFT: I have students in Mali a lot, including Americans. In life, one must always be a student and a teacher. It does good for humanity.
SFBG: Was your dad your teacher growing up? What was that like learning from a musical legend?
VFT: I was not aware of my father's international fame until I traveled with him to France when I was a teenager. Of course, I knew how he was respected in Mali. But anyways, I didnt really learn guitar from him (though I learned so many other lessons about life from him). It was my uncle Afel Bocoum who brought me into music in niafunke when I was young, and then I studied at the Arts Institute in Bamako. Then both Toumani Diabate and my father began teaching me things. I am very lucky to have had these mentors. They hold wisdom of hundreds of years in their fingers.
SFBG: At this point in your career, what are you still learning about on the guitar?
VFT: I am always learning. I'm learning different styles, different scales and modes, and above all control. You can never have 100 percent control of your instrument, but you can also get closer to 100 percent.
SFBG: You're getting the chance to share your music all over the world -- and learn from the rest of the world in return. How is that opportunity affecting your music?
VFT: I think you can hear that in my albums and in my live show. There is a consistent base, like the base of a soup, but thrown in are rock, funk, reggae, Arabic styles, even hip-hop sometimes. All together they make my personal sound and make me a new branch on the tree of Malian music.
Guitar master class with Vieux Farka Touré
Mon/16 7 p.m., $40
St. Cyprian's Church
2097 Turk, SF
(415) 259-1658
www.brownpapertickets.com/event/171012
Upcoming concerts:
Sun/15 8 p.m., $15
The Independent
628 Divisadero, SF
(415) 771-1421
Tues/17 8 p.m., $21
Mystic Theatre
23 Petaluma Blvd. North, Petaluma
(707) 765-9211