Introverted Malian Tuareg-guitar blues by Amanar frontman

Concert

Ahmed ag Kaedy – who originally operated from out of north-eastern Mali but was exiled since then – has been one of the frontrunners of the contemporary, avant-garde version of the classic Tuareg-guitar music for a few years now. First with his band Amanar and now solo too: check out the wonderful album ‘Akaline Kidal’, released earlier this year on the extremely interesting Sahel Sounds label.

The stripped-down sound of his music evokes the barren remnants of the homeland that he was forced to leave, though the hope for better times remains audible in his guitar playing.

In the press

‘Akaline Kidal traces back to the very genesis of the art form, to the reasons humans first sought to put into song what they could not with mere words—it expresses feelings too complex for conversation.’ wweek