MAY 30, 2006
Baaba Maal Announces 2006 Tour Dates
Senegalese Singer Set To Tour U.S. In June
by Tom PryorSenegalese singer Baaba Maal announced plans for his 2006 summer tour late last week. The 17-date tour will kick off on June 13th in Denver, CO and wind up on July 2nd in New York City. Maal will be backed by his legendary 13-piece electric band, Daande Lenol ("Voice of the People"), along with singer and griot Mansour Seck.
The tour marks Maal's re-emergence on North American stages after a two-year absence. The singer surfaced earlier this year, when he appeared at the Jammy Awards in April in New York City. There Maal recieved the first Global Rhythm World Music Award (presented to him by former NBA Center Manute Bol) and performed with former Phish bassist Mike Gordon and singer Angelique Kidjo.
Originally from the riverside town of Podor in Northern Senegal, Maal first emerged on the international scene in the late '80s with the European release of the live album Djam Leelii, a collaboration with Mansour Seck. Since that auspicious debut, Maal has emerged as one of Senegal's greatest singers, with over a dozen international releases under his belt, including such classics as 1994's Firin' in Fouta and 1997's Nomad Soul. His music is an original blend of Senegalese pop, reggae, soul and the traditional sounds of his Fula people.
Baaba Maal Tour Dates:
June 13 Denver, CO Botanic Gardens
June 14 Boulder, CO Chautauqua Auditorium
June 16 San Francisco, CA SFJAZZ Festival (Masonic Auditorium)
June 17 Los Angeles, CA Playboy Jazz Festival (Hollywood Bowl)
June 18 Santa Barbara, CA Live Oak Music Festival
June 19 San Diego, CA Humphrey's Concerts by the Bay
June 21 Santa Cruz, CA Rio Theater
June 22 Lake Tahoe, CA Crystal Bay Club
June 23 Boonville, CA Sierra Nevada World Music Festival
June 24 Seattle, WA The Showbox
June 25 Vancouver, BC Center For The Performing Arts
June 26 Victoria, BC Royal Theatre Jazz Festival
June 27 Roseburg, OR Music On The Half Shell
June 28 Portland, OR Oregon Zoo
June 30 Boston, MA Somerville Theatre
July 1 Montreal, QC Le Spectrum Jazz Festival
July 2 New York, NY Irving Plaza
