Boubacar Traore
A diamond among the jewels of Mandingo music
Boubacar Traoré embodies all the beauty of African blues. A diamond among the jewels of Mandingo music. He shines with the dark glow of the purest. From his football-loving friends, he has been nicknamed Kar Kar, the dribbler, and only he can blend the Niger and Mississippi deltas with such gripping authenticity.
Boubacar Traoré became a superstar in Mali in the 1960s, the first to play Mandingo music on an electric guitar, and was played a lot on the radio. But when the regime changed in 1968, Traoré was censored and cut from the radio, and could no longer make a living as a musician. But in 1987 he was rediscovered in Mali, and was well on his way to a new renaissance, when his wife died in childbirth. This hit him hard, and he moved to France and worked as a construction worker to support his six children. In Paris, a record producer happened to come across some of Traoré's old radio recordings, and immediately gave him a recording contract. He quickly became popular internationally, and has since toured the world and released several albums.
Boubacar Traoré is respected and praised in Mali. Especially by young people. They are rediscovering the artist, one of the founders and great ambassadors of modern Mandingo music. Every time his international tours are over, Boubacar returns to the plot of land he bought on a hill in Bamako. There he raises sheep and grows vegetables, something he is genuinely proud and happy about. -In Mali, everyone is a farmer. It is the most reliable way to earn a living.
Boubacar Traore – guitar, vocals
Jeremie Diarra – calabash
Vincent Bucher – harp
Concert
Saturday, July 6 at 2:30 PM Boubacar Traoré
Larris Scene, Scandic Sunnfjord hotel
Discography:
Mariama (1990)
Kar Kar (1992)
Les Enfants de Pierrette (1995)
Sa Golo (1996)
Macire (1999)
Duna Ma Yelema (1999)
I will sing for you (2003)
The Best of Boubacar Traoré: The Bluesman from Mali (2003)
Congo Magni (2005)
Mali Denhou (2011)
Mbalimaou (2015)
Dounia Tabolo (2017)