Afropop Worldwide

While on his festival-packed US tour this summer, the Nigerian (as in from Niger, not Nigeria) guitarist Bombino found time to stop by the NPR office in Washington DC to record the 300th tiny desk concert for All Songs Considered. As we've come to expect from both the series and Bombino, the results are excellent, with the full bodied whirl showcased in both the band's live shows and the Nomad album paired back to a delicate shimmer. Filmed at close quarters with the distortion gone, the video makes it possible to more fully appreciate Bombino's filigreed guitar style, as song sections emerge out of single note lines suspended against interlocked patterns of rhythm and chord. Best moment? The simultaneous pickup change and cross the strings back hand flick in the last song. It's the enthralling ability to actually see these  tiny details in Bombino's playing that raises the video to the next level, providing a new vantage point into the art of a formidable guitar talent. Check it out!