Bombino via Matrix

The Birth of the Matrix →

No princípio...

Imagine um Facebook que seria mais sobre pessoas que você não conhece do que sobre pessoas que você conhece. E ainda mais importante: sobre pessoas que não o conhecem, mas cujas vidas seriam enriquecidas se o conhecessem.

Imagine uma versão atualizada do antigo Myspace Music, que incluiria não apenas músicos, mas todos da economia criativa global da humanidade.

E imagine que ao invés de ter "amigos", recomendaria as pessoas pelo que fazem...

E que, por alguma mágica fantástica, todos nessa rede imaginária tenderiam a estar a poucos passos de todos os outros, o que significa que todos em nossa rede seriam potencialmente encontrados por todos os outros na rede, e no planeta.

Você está imaginando o Matrix (Rede Online)!

Esse Matrix baiano foi fundado (com afeto!) numa questão fundamental: Como é possível fazer com que os músicos mais importantes historicamente do Brasil sejam descobertos por pessoas que vivem em qualquer lugar da Terra?

A resposta foi incluí-los num matrix no sentido original da palavra: “fonte”, de “mater”, latim para “mãe”...

...um matrix que também incluiria membros da economia criativa de todo o mundo: escritores e jornalistas, pintores, cineastas, coreógrafos, programadores de computador, designers de som e cenografia, designers de moda, matemáticos…

Por este meio, podemos pessoalmente alcançar profundamente a realidade da economia criativa global que está realmente lá fora: Roberto Mendes de Santo Amaro pode recomendar João do Boi de São Braz. Munir Hossn de Salvador, mas agora morando em Paris, pode recomendar Roberto Mendes. Alfredo Rodriguez de Havana, mas agora morando em Nova York, pode recomendar Munir Hossn. E Quincy Jones de Los Angeles pode recomendar Alfredo Rodriguez. Quem conhece Quincy Jones agora pode descobrir João do Boi (entre os músicos absolutamente mais fundamentais do Brasil) em apenas quatro passos.

Este não é um exemplo isolado. Caminhos curtos de apenas alguns passos entre pessoas criativas amplamente díspares são universais em todo o Matrix. Tal é o fantástico poder matemático do fenômeno do pequeno mundo, o fenômeno responsável pelos "seis graus de separação", unindo a maioria dos seres humanos à maioria dos outros em cerca de seis passos. Essa é a superpotência do Matrix baiano.

O Matrix baiano está aberta a todos da economia criativa global. Foi construído numa loja de discos no Centro Histórico de Salvador por um americano que trabalhou anteriormente em Nova York recuperando royalties não pagos para artistas como Aretha Franklin, Barbra Streisand, Led Zeppelin, Cat Stevens (Yusef Islam), Astrud Gilberto, Airto Moreira, Mongo Santamaria, Ray Barretto, o primeiro produtor de Bob Marley, Clement Dodd, o mestre de jazz Jim Hall e outros.

Agora o projeto é mostrar ao mundo o que é que a Bahia tem. Ao permitir que todos na economia criativa global também podem estender a mão ao redor do mundo e mostram ao mundo o que é que eles têm.

O Matrix é capaz de atingir profundamente... esta é a vila de São Braz, no Recôncavo baiano, criada por escravizados que escaparam para uma liberdade marginal...

In the beginning...

Imagine a Facebook that would be more about people you don't know than people you do know. And even more importantly: about people who don't know you but whose lives would be enriched if they did.

Imagine an updated version of old Myspace Music, which would include not just musicians but all in humanity's global creative economy.

And imagine that rather than having "friends", one would recommend people for what they do...

And that by some fantastic magic everybody in this imaginary network would tend to be within scant steps of everybody else, meaning that everybody in our network would be potentially findable by everybody else in the network, and on the planet.

You are imagining the Matrix (Online Network)!

This Bahian Matrix was founded (with love!) on a fundamental question: How is it possible to make Brazil’s most historically important musicians discoverable by people living anywhere around the Earth?

The answer was to include them in a matrix in the original sense of the word: “source”, from “mater”, Latin for “mother”...

...a matrix which would also include members of the creative economy from everywhere else: writers and journalists, painters, filmmakers, choreographers, computer programmers, sound and set designers, fashion designers, mathematicians…

By this means we can personally reach deeply into the reality of the global creative economy that is really out there: Roberto Mendes of Santo Amaro can recommend João do Boi of São Braz. Munir Hossn of Salvador but now living in Paris can recommend Roberto Mendes. Alfredo Rodriguez of Havana but now living in New York City can recommend Munir Hossn. And Quincy Jones of Los Angeles can recommend Alfredo Rodriguez. Anybody who knows Quincy Jones can now discover João do Boi (top photo; "John of the Ox" in English, the vastly important Son House of Brazil) in just four steps.

This is not an isolated example. Short pathways of just a few steps between widely disparate creative people are universal throughout the Matrix. Such is the fantastic mathematical power of the small world phenomenon, the phenomenon responsible for “six degrees of separation”, joining most human beings to most others within some six or so steps. This is the Bahian Matrix’s superpower.

The Bahian Matrix is open to all in the global creative economy. It was built in a record shop in Salvador’s Centro Histórico by an American who formerly worked in New York city retrieving unpaid royalties for artists including Aretha Franklin, Barbra Streisand, Led Zeppelin, Cat Stevens (Yusef Islam), Astrud Gilberto, Airto Moreira, Mongo Santamaria, Ray Barretto, Bob Marley’s first producer Clement Dodd, jazz great Jim Hall and others.

Now the project is to show the world o que é que a Bahia tem (what it is that Bahia has). By letting everybody in the global creative economy likewise reach out across the planet to connect as they wish and show the world what it is that they have too.

The Matrix is capable of reaching deeply...this is João's village of São Braz, in the Bahian Recôncavo, created by enslaved who'd escaped to a marginal freedom...

ALL IS CLOSER THAN WE IMAGINE
(Imagine Bombino) I RECOMMEND
You can recommend Bombino from below when logged in ←

CURATION

from this node by: Matrix

This is the Universe of

Name: Bombino
City/Place: Agadez
Country: Niger

Life & Work

Bio: Omara “Bombino” Moctar, whose given name is Goumour Almoctar, was born on January 1, 1980, in Tidene, Niger, an encampment of nomadic Tuaregs located about 80 kilometers to the northeast of Agadez. He is a member of the Ifoghas tribe, which belongs to the Kel Adagh Tuareg federation. His father is a car mechanic and his mother takes care of the home, as is the Tuareg tradition. Bombino was raised as a Muslim and taught to consider honor, dignity and generosity as principal tenets of life.

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 ancient Sahara trade routes connecting North Africa and the Mediterranean with West Africa. One of seventeen brothers and sisters (including half brothers and half sisters from both his mother and father), Bombino was enrolled in school in Agadez, but he demonstrated his rebellious spirit early on and refused to go. Bombino’s grandmother took him in to keep his father from forcing him to go to school, and, like most Tuareg children, he grew up living with his grandmother.

Eventually, Bombino gave in and began attending a French-Arabic school that taught both French and classic Arabic. After three years, he left the school and at the age of nine he returned to his grandmother to live the life of an independent Tuareg child. The Tuareg culture is matriarchic, and the elder women are considered the chiefs of the community, the wise sages that represent the power of life, generosity and knowledge. Bombino’s grandmother instilled in him the Tuareg moral code in order for him to grow up as a respected member of society. Young Tuareg boys are called “arawan n tchimgharen,” or “grandmother’s children,” a term that is considered a badge of honor.

In 1984, a drought hit Niger and Mali, killing most of the region’s livestock, forcing people to leave the countryside and move into the cities or migrate to Algeria and Libya. Eventually, Tuareg communities in those countries organized a rebellion to defend their rights, as they felt overlooked and underrepresented by local governments. Before the fighting began, rebels began teaching the community about the goals of the rebellion through song and the recently adopted guitar. Musicians such as Intayaden, Abreyboun of Tinariwen, Keddo, Abdallah of Niger and others sang popular songs that proclaimed the rights and heritage of the Tuaregs. The style was called “ishoumar” which derives from the French word “chomeurs” or “unemployed,” because Tuaregs had lost their herds in the drought and were left with no other means of supporting themselves. Eventually, the term “ishoumar” became synonymous with “rebels.”

In 1990, the first Tuareg rebellion began in Mali and Niger when Tuareg commandos launched an attack against local military and government offices. The governments fought back, declaring Tuaregs enemies of the state and 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 in imitation of the ishoumar songs he had heard.

In 1992 and 1993, the military regime in Niger was replaced with a democratically elected government, and numerous political parties were formed, largely along ethnic lines. A Tuareg party was formed, and music once again played an important role in educating the community, this time about the importance of a democratic system in Niger. While the armed conflict had not formally ended, Bombino and his family decided to move back to Agadez.

During a trip to Niamey, Niger for medical treatment, Bombino met with his uncle Rissa Ixa, a famous Tuareg painter, who gave him a guitar. Upon returning to Agadez, Bombino joined the Tuareg political party where he met the best guitarist of the party, a man named Haja Bebe. He started lessons, improving to the point where Haja Bebe invited him to join his band. It was during this time that Bombino acquired his nickname. As the youngest and smallest member of the band, the other members called him Bombino, a variation on the Italian word for “little child.”

On April 24, 1995, the Niger government signed a peace treaty with the rebels and Tuaregs were able to move back to Niger. Around the same time, Bombino got a role as an extra in the French film Imuhar: A Legend, which was filmed in the nearby desert. After finishing his work on the film, Bombino settled into life as working musician, performing at political rallies, weddings, and other ceremonies.

He fought often with his father, who did not want his son to become a musician. To escape this problem, Bombino decided to travel to Algeria and Libya in 1996. In Libya, he made friends with some local musicians, and they would spend time watching videos of Jimi Hendrix, Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits and others in an effort to master their licks. Bombino was quickly becoming an accomplished guitarist and was in high demand as a backing musician. While working as a herder in the desert near Tripoli, Libya, Bombino spent many hours alone watching the animals and practicing his guitar.

Eventually, Bombino decided to return to Niger, where he continued to play with a number of local bands. As his legend grew, a Spanish documentary film crew helped Bombino record his first album, which become a local hit on Agadez radio. The success of the album validated Bombino’s choice to make a career out of music, and he began playing regularly for tourists and locals alike.

In 2006, Bombino traveled to California with the band Tidawt for a tour organized by a non-profit organization. During the trip, he had the chance to record a desert blues version of the Rolling Stones classic “Hey Negrita” alongside Stones’ members Keith Richards and Charlie Watts. The track appears on the 2008 album spearheaded by Rolling Stones saxophonist Tim Riese titled Stone’s World: The Rolling Stones Project Volume 2. Later that year, Bombino served as Angelina Jolie’s guide to the Niger desert region during a weeklong visit. During their time together, he played her the music of the Tuareg and told her stories of nomadic life in the Sahara.

In 2007, the second Tuareg rebellion began, and the government countermeasures were forceful and indiscriminate. Many civilians were killed and farms and livestock were destroyed in an effort to quash the rebellion. Instead, the government’s hard-handed tactics only served to galvanize the Tuareg community, and many around Bombino joined the rebellion. Government forces killed two of Bombino’s musicians, so he fled in exile to Burkina Faso along with many of his fellow Tuaregs.

In 2009, he met filmmaker Ron Wyman who had heard a cassette of Bombino’s music while traveling near Agadez. Wyman was enchanted by Bombino’s music and spent a year seeking him out, eventually tracking him down to Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, where Bombino was living in exile. While there, Wyman decided to feature Bombino in a documentary he was filming about the Tuareg. Later that year, he brought Bombino to Cambridge, Massachusetts to begin recording the album Agadez in his home studio.

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 including BBC World Service, which calls it “utterly, utterly fantastic” and Rolling Stone, which calls Nomad “a perfect match of sound and soul [that] introduces a new guitar hero.” His dazzling live performance and virtuosity on the guitar have led notable music critics to compare him to Jimi Hendrix, Carlos Santana, Neil Young, and Jerry Garcia.

After a ‘brief’ 25 hour delay in Morocco on his way from Niger, Bombino arrived in Woodstock, New York in late 2015 to record his next album, Azel (2015, Partisan Records). There were a few remarkable innovations on this album. The first is the introduction of a new style Bombino is pioneering that he affectionately calls 'Tuareggae' - a sunny blend of Tuareg blues/rock with reggae one-drop and bounce. Another is the first-ever use of Western vocal harmonies in recorded Tuareg music (due to Longstreth's influence), which give the songs new depth and color. Finally, the band behind him is tighter and more energetic than ever before.

In November 2017, Bombino and his group traveled to Casablanca, Morocco to record his latest album, Deran (2018, Partisan Records). Bombino wished to return to Africa to record and to step out of the shadow of celebrity producers to create the most authentic expression of his music possible. Deran was produced by Bombino's long-time manager, Eric Herman (Modiba Productions) and benefited from deeper involvement from his band - Youba Dia (bass), Illias Mohamed (rhythm guitar) and Corey Wilhelm (drums), and Mohamed Araki Eltayeb (keys) - in arrangement and other creative decisions. The result was Bombino's most mature and well-rounded studio effort to date. Deran was released on May 18, quickly hit #1 on the iTunes World Charts, and was hailed by critics around the world as an instant classic. In the wake of its release Bombino was featured in the New York Times which dubbed him 'the Sultan of Shred' while Noisey dubbed him 'The World's Greatest Guitarist'. Deran was nominated for a Grammy for Best World Music Album at the 2019 Grammy Awards, making Bombino the first ever artist from Niger to be nominated for a Grammy. He returned from the ceremony to a parade in his honor in Niger, attended by thousands of fans.

Still in his thirties, Bombino’s life and travels have exposed him to the problems facing his people. He has taken on the mission of helping the Tuareg community achieve equal rights, peace, maintain their rich cultural heritage and promote education. He is an advocate for teaching children the Tuareg language of Tamasheq, the local Haoussa language as well as French and Arabic, all of which he speaks fluently. “We fought for our rights,” remarks Bombino, “but we have seen that guns are not the solution. We need to change our system. Our children must go to school and learn about their Tuareg identity.”

Four thousand years of living in a hostile environment taught the Tuareg that the will to survive with dignity intact is stronger than any external threat. Bombino puts that sentiment to music, writes its anthem, and gives it a life of its own. He is known as being emblematic of the next generation of Tuareg, a new voice of the Sahara and Sahel, fusing traditional Berber rhythms with the energy of rock and roll and songs about peace. After thirty years of drought, rebellion, and tyranny, Bombino extols his audience to remember who they are, but also realize who they can be.

This biography is based largely on an interview conducted with Bombino in December 2010 and on materials prepared by Ron Wyman of Zero Gravity Films.

Contact Information

Management/Booking: BOOKING INQUIRIES
North America
Tom Chauncey
[email protected]
Europe
Wulf von Gaudecker
[email protected]
Australia
Jordan Verzar
[email protected]
South America, Africa, Asia
Eric Herman
[email protected]

PUBLICITY
North America
Bryant Kitching
[email protected]
Europe
Ellie Rumbold
[email protected]

RECORD LABEL
Catie Ginsburg
[email protected]

MANAGEMENT
Eric Herman
[email protected]

Media | Markets

▶ Buy My Music: (downloads/CDs/DVDs) http://store.partisanrecords.com/release/108237-bombino-deran
▶ Buy My Music 2: (downloads/CDs/DVDs) http://bombino.bandcamp.com
▶ Twitter: BombinoOfficial
▶ Instagram: bombino.official
▶ Website: http://www.bombinomusic.com
▶ YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCprvCzJUypfLFAgeXylwdEQ
▶ YouTube Music: http://music.youtube.com/channel/UCrQSbY5pnagJxtQHGwIaaKg
▶ Spotify: http://open.spotify.com/album/6Zv8PkjigCztS7AON6ZuZe
▶ Spotify 2: http://open.spotify.com/album/2j4IyHBIdcB3gwUnLzgUls
▶ Spotify 3: http://open.spotify.com/album/2zoMqNfZlAbS8e5YzIb8pa
▶ Spotify 4: http://open.spotify.com/album/3lHrjUzIWhXAbdnpUBKVI3
▶ Spotify 5: http://open.spotify.com/album/13F1vGPWhDX3wteKw8cVoI
▶ Spotify 6: http://open.spotify.com/album/3QS9MEDR0WUZxJDUgnbqHc

Clips (more may be added)

NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert
By Bombino

250 views

Do you recommend Bombino?

Imagine the world's creative economy at your fingertips. Imagine 10 doors side-by-side. Beyond each, 10 more, each opening to a "creative" somewhere around the planet. After passing through 8 such doorways you will have followed 1 pathway out of 100 million possible (2 sets of doorways yield 10 x 10 = 100 pathways). This is a simplified version of the metamathematics that makes it possible to reach anybody in the global creative economy in just a few steps. It doesn't mean that everybody will be reached by everybody. It does mean that everybody can be reached by everybody.