Wed 10/11 @ 7:30-9PM
Guitarist Bombino has earned all kinds of rave reviews for his guitar playing, putting him in a league with guitar greats such as Jimi Hendrix, one of his prime influences.
But the 43-year-old musician doesn’t have the typical story of a guitar prodigy who was blowing them away at a suburban Sam Ash Music Store when he was just ten. His back story is a lot more unsettled and filled with danger and challenges.
He was born in a nomadic Tuareg encampment in Niger, and endured political upheaval during which his family fled to Algeria. He learned to play via videos and after spending some time as a shepherd in Libya, he came to California in 2006 to play with Tuareg band Tidawt. After a couple of his bandmates were killed amidst deteriorating conditions in Niger, he again fled, this time to Burkina Faso. There he met filmmaker Ron Wyman, who produced Bombino’s debut album Agadez (2011). He released his second Deran in 2018, which snagged a Grammy nomination. His new release Sahel is spreading word of his talents even further, athough he’s certainly come a long way.
His travels bring him to the Cleveland Museum of Art’s Gartner Auditorium. Get tickets here.