Supported by TD Bank

Join Small World and TD Canada as we celebrate Black Futures Month with “Black History, Black Futures: Past, Present, and Everywhere’! We’ll go deep into the Small World archive with the great Vieux Farka Touré and look to the future with a specially-commissioned concert with Afro-Colombian sounds by Bejuco.

Often referred to as ‘the Hendrix of the Sahara', Vieux Farka Touré is the son of legendary Grammy Award-winning Malian guitar player Ali Farka Touré. Although his father disapproved of it, Vieux insisted on becoming a musician and with help from family friend and kora maestro Toumani Diabaté, Vieux eventually got his father’s blessing shortly before Ali’s death in 2006.

Over the course of half a dozen albums, alone and with collaborators, he has been hailed by critics as he grows in maturity and musical ambition. With each new project, Vieux expands his horizons, embraces new challenges and further entrenches his reputation as one of the world’s most talented and innovative musicians.

His live performances are highly energized and Vieux is known for dazzling crowds with his speed and dexterity on the guitar, as well as his palpable charisma and luminous smile, captivating audiences across language barriers. We’ve been fortunate to host ‘VFT' and his band in Toronto on several occasions, including this superb performance at Revival at the 2015 Small World Festival.

Hailing from Tumaco on Colombia’s Southern Pacific coast, Bejuco are an 11-piece ensemble playing dynamic, percussion-forward roots music inspired by Afrobeat pioneers Fela Kuti and Tony Allen. Their debut recording, Batea, out on Bogota’s innovative, Discos Pacífico, Llorona Records´new imprint, marries Bambuco, Currulao and Juga — Afro-Colombian music typified by percussive, syncopated grooves and call and response vocals—with a pop sensibility that invokes everything from Nigerian high life to reggae dub and hip-hop.

Presented as a part of 25 for 25 - Small World Music's 25th Anniversary Program