Northern Mali blues group Tinariwen performs at FreshGrass Sunday afternoon at 2. Their appearance in Joe’s Field at Mass MoCA is part of a coast-to-coast U.S. tour that follows the release of “Amadjar,” the band’s latest studio album.
MARIE PLANEILLE – PROVIDED BY MASS MOCA
By Benjamin Cassidy, The Berkshire Eagle
NORTH ADAMS — One of the most anticipated acts at FreshGrass this weekend comes from a place where you wouldn’t expect to find much vegetation.
Grammy Award-winning desert blues group Tinariwen hails from northern Mali, a Saharan region that has been no stranger to strife in recent decades. Despite their success, the guitarists haven’t always been able to distance themselves from conflicts in their home country. As Tuaregs, the group’s original members participated in the nomadic minority group’s rebellions against the Malian government. Six years ago, one of their own, Abdallah Ag Lamida, was even captured. But that hasn’t stopped them from continuing to make and share their music around the world. Their visit to the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art on Sunday is part of a coast-to-coast U.S. tour that follows the release of “Amadjar,” the band’s latest studio album.
“This album has been recorded on the road in between the western Sahara and Mauritania. We have recorded it as nomadic travelers, like we used to do in the old time,” band member Said Ag Ayad emailed through a translator before the group’s 2 p.m. performance at Joe’s Field in North Adams.
During that trip, the group would stop to record in the desert.
“The desert is the best place for us to feel the inspiration. We like being around the campfire, playing some songs without the studio pressure. Being under the sky and the stars is the best studio in the world,” Ayad wrote.
Tinariwen has long been on the move. The group emerged in Libya during the 1980s under the leadership of Ibrahim Ag Alhabib, one of the band’s many talented guitarists.
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“Tinariwen’s guitar style is called the ‘guitar ishumar,'” Ayad wrote. “Our leader Ibrahim learned to play guitar on a handmade instrument (a simple water can with a piece of wood and metal string).”
Eventually, the Malians returned to their native land, fighting in Tuareg insurgencies. In 2001, the band participated in the Festival in the Desert, leading to its first major recording, “The Radio Tisdas Sessions,” in 2002. About a decade later, “Tassili” won a Grammy for best world music album. Now, with “Amadjar,” the group presents a Tuareg culture grappling with many familiar obstacles.
“Our songs in this album are about the Tuareg issues (climate change, political problems) but also about the beauty of the Sahara,” Ayad wrote. “Some songs are about love, too.”
Tinariwen could be forgiven for not feeling much affection prior to its U.S. tour. When a Winston-Salem, N.C., club announced that Tinariwen would be performing there via a Facebook post, multiple commenters responded with racism and other forms of hatred. But the group still played there on Tuesday to a packed house.
Ayad declined to comment on the incident and past threats the group may or may not have received. When asked about the messages of the band’s music, he offered a straightforward response.
“Simplicity is freedom,” Ayad wrote.
Benjamin Cassidy can be reached at bcassidy@berkshireeagle.com, at @bybencassidy on Twitter and 413-496-6251.
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