Unlikely connections

Surprising connections: John Brown, a blues/desert roots  musician, and the Adirondacks. How does this all come together?

John Brown Lives! (JBL!) is thrilled to present “desert blues” sensation Bombino on his first North America tour. Likened to Jimi Hendrix and fusing songs of his nomadic Tuareg tribe with rock & roll and peace songs, Bombino is a troubadour with a message and an irresistible sound.

Bombino performs with his four-person band at Lake Placid Center for the Arts (LPCA) on Wednesday July 20.  Doors open at 7 p.m. for general admission seating; concert starts at 7:30 p.m. with an opening set by Lake Placid’s Wulaba Drum Ensemble.

The concert launches JBL!’s new initiative, the Timbuctoo Sahara – Timbuctoo Adirondack Cultural Exchange Project linking schoolchildren and communities here and in Mali, and a share of the proceeds will support the Scarab School in the Tuareg village of Tinghassane on the outskirts of Timbuktu.

Tickets in advance $18; $20 at the door; $5 for children under 12.  A book of 10 sponsor tickets for $160.

Call LPCA Box Office 518-523-2512 or Martha Swan 518-962-4758.  Tickets are also available at Ampersound Music in Saranac Lake, Koffee Kat in Plattsburgh, and Dogwood Bread Company in Wadhams.

Check out this beautiful short film about Bombino and the desert landscape of Northern Africa:

And this one of a recent concert:

The folks at John Brown Lives! have offered me some tickets to give away during this week’s Blue Note. Tune in. You might win some tickets to this remarkable concert…and connection.