Photo: Mads MaurstadBombino – March 10, L’Astral LiveEvents March 5, 2019 2613 Jazz All-Year Round presents Bombino With special guests: Dead Messengers Fusing traditional Berber rhythms with rock’n’roll energy in pacifist songs, Omara “Bombino” Moctar won Montreal’s heart a few years back with the album Nomad, produced by Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys. Last year, the voice of the Sahara and the Sahel released an album called Deran, a return to his roots that invites to universal understanding among peoples. Born in 1980 in the nomadic Tuareg encampment Tidene, just outside Agadez, Niger, Bombino (born Goumour Almoctar, also known as Oumara Moctar) came of age during much political upheaval, fleeing with his family to Algeria by 1990, teaching himself guitar by watching videos of his heroes Jimi Hendrix, Dire Straits, Ali Farka Toure and Tinariwen, and returning to northern Niger’s largest city, Agadez, seven years later, when he took on music professionally. After years of honing his skills back home and spending time as a shepherd in Libya, he first left Africa and traveled to California in 2006 as lead soloist on tour with Tidawt. There he recorded a desert blues take on the Rolling Stones classic “Hey Negrita” alongside Keith Richards and Charlie Watts. The following year, filmmaker Hisham Mayet captured Bombino and his electric band for the recording Music from Niger: Guitars from Agadez, Vol. 2, released in 2009 on Sublime Frequencies, Bombino’s first official album release. For tickets and information, visit: www.montrealjazzfest.com L’Astral (Maison du Festival) 305 Ste. Catherine St. West