Bombino
Omara “Bombino” Moctar is a member of the Ifoghas tribe, which belongs to the Kel Adagh Tuareg federation. The Tuareg, known amongst themselves as the Kel Tamasheq, have long been recognized as warriors, traders and travelers of the Sahara Desert - as a people of grace and nobility as well as fighters of fierce reputation. They are a nomadic people descended from the Berbers of North Africa and for centuries have fought against colonialism and the imposition of strict Islamic rule.
Bombino spent his early childhood between the encampment and the town of Agadez, the largest city in northern Niger (population about 90,000) and long a key part of the ancientSahara trade routes connecting North Africa and the Mediterranean with West Africa.In 1990, the first Tuareg rebellion began forcing many Tuareg’s into exile. Bombino fled with his father and grandmother to stay near relatives in Algeria. One day some relatives arrived from the front lines of the rebellion, carrying with them two guitars that they left behind for a few months. Bombino began to teach himself to play the guitars, plucking out notes inimitation of the ishoumar songs he had heard.
In 2007, the second Tuareg rebellion began, and Government forces killed two of Bombino’s musicians, so he fled in exile to Burkina Faso along with many of his fellow Tuaregs.
Finally, the Tuaregs put down their arms and were allowed to return to Niger. In January 2010, Wyman came to Agadez to finish the album and the film. The sultan of Agadez allowed them to organize a concert for peace at the base of the Grand Mosque, the first time such a performance had been permitted. Over a thousand people came to celebrate the end of the conflict and danced to the irresistible grooves of Bombino and his band. Bombino’s first internationally released album, Agadez, was produced by Ron Wyman and released in April 2011 on Cumbancha Records. He enjoyed great worldwide acclaim for the album and toured all over the world throughout 2011 and 2012 to further his music and his cause.
On April 2, 2013, Bombino made his Nonesuch Records debut with the release of the album Nomad, which was recorded with 2013 Grammy Award-winning Producer of the Year Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys at his Nashville studio, Easy Eye Sound. Nomad debuted at #1 on the Billboard World Music album chart and iTunes World chart and earned rave reviews from top media outlets around the world.
After release the albums Azel in 2015 and Drean in 2018 and countless shows all around the globe, Bombino is established as one of the worlds virtuoso guitarists
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