Tinariwen

Tinariwen, Tuareg music group, active from about 1979, whose update of traditional Tuareg styles captured the spirit of that nomadic culture and spoke to its disaffection. In the early 21st century the band also attracted sizeable Western audiences who were mesmerized by its innovative brand of electric-guitar-based “desert blues.” Tinariwen’s membership was fluid throughout its existence. At its centre, however, was the Tuareg musician Ibrahim Ag Alhabib (b. c. 1960, near Tessalit, Mali). Ag Alhabib...