The dense forest of African music is thick with towering, sturdy family trees, and few, if any, are as productive as the one rooted in the late, legendary Malian bluesman Ali Farka Toure.
His son, Vieux Farka Toure, is following in his dad’s footsteps as one of the most prominent young African musicians on the planet. And his nephew, Ibrahim Kelly, leads Dusu Mali Band, a Portland-based Afro-fusion jam band that will play Silver Moon Brewing & Taproom Saturday night.
Dusu Mali incorporates its share of Western style into its endlessly engaging music; driving funk, electronic groove and wandering jams all find a home in the band’s sound. But Kelly and his band mates always keep one foot firmly planted in the hypnotic, polyrhythmic traditions of West Africa, where criss-crossing guitars and undulating percussion have been making folks dance for centuries.
Over the past several years, Malian musicians have made some of the world’s most beautiful music, but chances to hear it don’t roll through Bend that often. Visit www.myspace.com/dusumaliband for a primer on Dusu Mali, and then don’t miss them at Silver Moon.
Dusu Mali Band; 9 p.m. Saturday; $8 plus fees in advance, available at www.bendticket.com, $10 at the door; Silver Moon Brewing & Taproom, 24 N.W. Greenwood Ave., Bend; www.silvermoonbrewing.com or 541-388-8331.
