Prom 51: 'The Desert Blues', Tinariwen

[bluestateprommer]

Wednesday 28 August 2024
22:15
Royal Albert Hall

Programme TBA (selections to blend traditional Tuareg and African music with Western rock and jazz)

Tinariwen (Proms debut ensemble)

https://www.bbc.co.uk/events/ev4z3d

https://www.royalalberthall.com/tickets/proms/bbc-proms-24/prom-51/

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0022469

[bluestateprommer]

Heard this Prom yesterday. While Lopa Kothari mentioned titles to a few of the songs, there was no running roster of the titles of the selections played anywhere, not even now after the fact. So I can't archive the playlist, and I didn't know Tinariwen's work at all to be able to compile a list. With all that said, this was toe-tapping fun to listen to. Lopa K. mentioned the RAH being quite full, which seems rather unusual for a Late Night Prom, but the pictures from the Instagram feed would seem to confirm that impression:

https://www.instagram.com/p/C_QF9jVoH2o/?img_index=1

[smittims]

I'd have been interested to hear a concert of traditional Tuareg music, but adding 'western rock and jazz' seems unwanted to me. I wouldn't want to hear English folk songs or Mozart treated that way.

[oddoneout]

I'd have been interested to hear a concert of traditional Tuareg music, but adding 'western rock and jazz' seems unwanted to me. I wouldn't want to hear English folk songs or Mozart treated that way.

Many years ago a late night programme that played "folk" music from around the world quite often had music from Mali which I always enjoyed. This Prom wasn't quite the same music I was expecting(misremembering?) but having read your comment about the additions that would explain why. I still found it very enjoyable though, not least for being very rhythmical but without the need for over emphasised bass(which I can't listen to as it makes me physically uncomfortable), just a constant heartbeat which was well suited to my awake, but not very, state.

[Serial_Apologist]

Coming in on the later stages I felt the rock element swamped the whole to the point of ethnic unidentifiability. In a more equal world would be OK; this to my ears was yet another example of cultural colonisation and expropriation by force of decimels. Jazz has been doing this sort of thing satisfactorily for more than a century demonstrating that there are other ways without "the western" on the one hand dominating while on the other being enriched.

[PhilipT]

.. there was no running roster of the titles of the selections played anywhere, not even now after the fact.

There was a free programme card with a list of song titles handed out at the Hall before the performance. Not the usual £6 programme. Whether it was followed exactly I cannot say - I lost count about halfway through. Will reproduce the list here if there seems to be interest.

[oddoneout]

Coming in on the later stages I felt the rock element swamped the whole to the point of ethnic unidentifiability. In a more equal world would be OK; this to my ears was yet another example of cultural colonisation and expropriation by force of decimels. Jazz has been doing this sort of thing satisfactorily for more than a century demonstrating that there are other ways without "the western" on the one hand dominating while on the other being enriched.

If these Tuareg musicians have chosen to make music with that balance of western and native elements, is it for us to say it is wrong? Not least as there seems to be rather more to their musicmaking than just producing tracks.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tinariwen

[smittims]

I don't know that anyone has said it's 'wrong', merely that we don't think it's a good idea. And as BBC Licence-payers we're entitiled to express our opinion on how the BBC spends our money.