PERFORMANCE AT THIS YEAR'S BONNAROO FESTIVAL CONFIRMED
Acclaimed New Album Television Out Now!
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Legendary Senegalese singer and star of the world stage Baaba Maal will head out on a coast to coast U.S. tour this spring, marking his first stateside dates in four years. The master musician will also make his debut on the Bonnaroo stage this June, bringing his signature blend of electronic dance elements and timeless West African musical tradition to this year's festival. These upcoming shows will be the first opportunity for Baaba's adoring American fans to hear tracks live from his new album Television (Palm Pictures), released last year to critical acclaim. Joining Baaba onstage are Aliou Diouf on drums, Massamba Diop on talking drum, Mbara Cisse on bass, Ibrahima Cissokho on electric guitar, Hilaire Felicien Chaby Hary on keys, Cire Sall on hoddu and Mouhamadou Lamine Sarr on percussion. The U.S. leg begins April 8 in Wisconsin and wraps May 7 at the Lake Eden Festival in North Carolina.
Television is a collaboration primarily between Baaba Maal and singer Sabina Sciubba and keyboardist Didi Gutman, both members of New York's Brazilian Girls. The result is a stunningly beautiful and diverse record that meshes two genres, generally unfamiliar to each other, to produce an eclectic and romantic sound. The enigmatically named title-track refers to a relatively recent phenomenon in Africa - ubiquitous TV screens. The television set is like a stranger you didn't ask for coming into your living-room," explains Baaba. You don't care about who he is: he just seems to come from nowhere and gives you information."