Salif Keita 50/70 Summer Tour 2019: Celebrating 50 Years of Music in 70 Years of Life

Following the release of his acclaimed final album “Un Autre Blanc” on 01 February 2019, Salif Keita embarks on a major tour during the summer of 2019, under the banner Salif Keita 50/70 Summer Tour. As 2019 is the year which marks Salif Keita’s 50-year career as a professional performing artist, as well as his 70^th birthday, The 50/70 Summer Tour 2019 celebrates these two major career milestones coinciding at the same time.

“I am very fortunate to still be recording and performing at my age. Half a century as a musician and performer is quite something, and I am most of all happy to be able to celebrate the occasion with a tour showcasing my last album to express my thanks to my family, my fans, and all the people who have supported me throughout my career – I dedicate it to them!

The Salif Keita 50/70 Summer Tour kicks off at Musical Theatre in Basel, Switzerland on 19 June 2019 followed by a quick stop at Archeo Jazz Festival, Moissac on 23 June before continuing northwards towards the Benelux, with performances at Wolfi Jazz Festival in Strasbourg and Archeo Jazz Festival in Blainville Crevon on the way to Carré Theatre in Amsterdam on 25 June as well as Couleur Café Festival in Brussels on 29 June.

The North-American leg of The Salif Keita 50/70 Summer Tour is a short and sweet sweep of three major festivals in one weekend and starts with the opening night of Festival Nuits d’Afrique in Montreal, Canada on 11 July, where he will also be bestowed with the Prix Nuits d’Afrique de la Francophonie. Thereafter performances on outdoor stages at Festival d’Eté in Quebec, Canada on 12 July as well as in New York at the Celebrate Brooklyn Festival, Prospect Park on 13 July, where he will also be inducted into the Afropop Hall of Fame.

Back in Europe for the second half of July, Salif Keita returns toLa Mar de Musicas Festival in Cartagena, Spain on 22 July, where he will also be presented with the La Mar de Musicas 2019 Award, then MIMO Festival in Amarante, Portugal, the WOMAD Festival at Charlton Park, UK and finally the Festival Porte Ferrada near Girona, Spain on 30 July. While in the UK, Salif Keita will make a rare intimate club performance at the renowned Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club on 28 July.

Salif Keita’s current touring outfit is an all West-African band that made its European debut at Jazz a La Villlette in Paris on 30 August 2018, and features sublime kora player Mamadou Diabate, Guinean guitar maestro Djessou-Mory Kante, dynamic percussionist Molobaly Kone, as well as long-time backing singer Bah Kouyate. The 9-piece live band also features young talents Oumarou Diarra (drums) from Burkina Faso, Adonaide Bohui (keyboards) from Ivory Coast, as well as Bamako-born bassist Modibo Sissoko.

A significant feature of The Salif Keita 50/70 Summer Tour 2019 is a travel partnership with Air France. “For many years, Air France has been my preferred airline,” says Keita. “Travelling as much as I do, it is important to feel at home between dates, and I really feel at home when I travel Air France, being a member of their exclusive frequent flyer Club 2000 of the Flying Dutchman. I am therefore very pleased to have Air France as a partner on this long tour, and part of the Salif Keita 50/70 Project”.