DALLAS It's a long, long way from Mali to the Metroplex -- and not just in terms of miles.
Anyone arriving early at The Loft Friday night to see Tinariwen -- the formerly nomadic Tuareg tribesmen, rebels and refugees from the sands of the Sahara who now make their very serious political/cultural points with music -- were greeted by the sight of a scene from the frothy Logo reality TV series The A List: Dallas being filmed on the outdoor patio. Talk about two worlds colliding.
It's not clear whether the members of Tinariwen and The A List cast actually crossed paths (doubtful) but the whole thing added a layer of North Texas surrealism to what was a musically magical night. Clad in their traditional flowing robes and scarves and fronted by grim-faced singer/guitarist Ibrahim Ag Alhabib and the more animated singer/guitarist Abdallah Alhousseyni, Tinariwen created a swirling cloud of rhythm dotted with droplets of scintillating guitar patterns and bassist Eyadou Ag Leche's thumping low end.
The songs, sung mostly in the Tamashek language, made for a seductive sound, 90 minutes of bluesy desert groove that brought to mind images of caravans snaking their way across windswept dunes.
The only negative was that there weren't more people there to see it. Since moving from the Sahara to the stage, Tinariwen have collaborated with Robert Plant, Carlos Santana, and members of Wilco and TV on the Radio, played in front of thousands at such festivals at Coachella and sold out LA's 1800-capacity Royce Hall. But only a relative handful of enthusiastic fans showed up Friday.
That Tinariwen's memories of Dallas may consist of a near-empty room and a trashy reality TV show is a shame.
