Okay Acoustic Bombino
Bombino's trademark guitar style, a blend of windswept Tuareg melodies and iconic blues rhythms, knows no geographical boundaries. The road-tested bandleader put his prowess on display in a new Okay Acoustic video shot for Okayafrica in the heart of Central Park, amidst the shadows on New York City skyscrapers, and it's a performance that no fan will want to miss. Backed by only a percussionist and the low hiss of wind upon leaves, Bombino played "Imidiwan," off of his 2013 LP Nomad. The song, he explains, is one that was written out of friendship, and in this new scaled-back version it's even easier to see the wrought emotion that Bombino puts into every strum and syllable.
On that day in Central Park, Bombino would later take the stage as the headlining act of Okayafrica's Summerstage showcase--a day that included performances from both Young Fathers and Fantastic Negrito. It was a day of raucous, worldly rhythms that had a capacity crowd dancing under a clear sky, but as we now see, the moments that lead up to showtime were light and calm. Watch Bombino's Okay Acoustic performance of "Imidiwan" below and stay tuned for more from our colleagues at Okayafrica.
