Tinariwen, or ⵜⵉⵏⴰⵔⵉⵡⵉⵏ in their traditional Tamasheq language, is a group of Tuareg rock musicians from the Saharan Desert region of northern Mali. The band formed in 1979 in Algeria, and first started to gain a following outside the region in the early 2000s with the release of The Radio Tisdas Sessions. NPR calls the group "music's true rebels."
Tinariwen won a Grammy award in 2011 for their album Tassili. Their newest, called Amadjar, was recorded during a two-week camp in the desert around Nouakchott (capital of Mauritania) under large tent in a few live takes, without headphones or effects.
Their live session was done concert style - no interview, just a straight performance of songs. We've been huge fans of the band for years, and were thrilled that they were able to stop for a rare in-studio session with us!
JPR Live Sessions are recorded with Audix microphones. Located in Wilsonville, Oregon, Audix designs, engineers, and manufactures high performing, innovative products that contribute to the advancement of the professional audio industry.