Tinariwen in Ottawa

Tinariwen are a Malian Tuareg band formed in 1979 in Tamanrasset, Algeria, by Ibrahim Ag Alhabib and fellow musicians living in exile. They play desert blues built around electric guitars, Tamasheq vocals and Tuareg rhythms. Albums including Aman Iman and Tassili brought the group a wider audience, and Tassili won a Grammy Award. Tinariwen performed at Festival Toucouleur in Angers in 1999, an early European appearance followed by the first Festival au Désert in Mali in 2001. Their international touring later reached rock audiences as well as world-music festivals, and in 2007 they opened for the Rolling Stones at Slane Castle in Ireland. Far beyond their Saharan home region, Tinariwen have performed at both Coachella in California and Glastonbury Festival in England.