This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
To Malian guitarist Vieux Farka Touré (above), playing at Salt Lake City's Living Traditions festival feels like a no-brainer."Life without traditions is like a boat with no sails and no rudder," he said. "This is what I think my music is — a living tradition. For traditions to live, they must be practiced and also they must evolve. I am trying to create music that looks both backwards and forwards."That kind of mashup also describes the music of Bomba Estéreo, a Colombian dance-music-fusion group that blends the underground dub and hip-hop music bubbling in its country with traditional Colombian rhythms from cumbia and champeta styles."From a Colombian perspective, I would say that [living traditions] would mean living musicians who are maintaining the traditions of folk music, which are tending to disappear," said Simon Mejia, leader of the band.The two international acts are joined by Haitian mizik-rasin band Boukman Eksperyans as the special guest artists at this weekend's 26th annual Living Traditions Festival, presented by the Salt Lake City Arts Council.The festival aims to illustrate the common threads tying together Utah's increasingly multicultural community, with acts such as the Chris Dokos Band, which plays Greek music; Chile Una Postal, Chilean music and dance; Desert Wind, Israeli music; Lac Viet Band, Vietnamese music; and Wesleyan Tongan Brass Band.
To read interviews with two of the feature acts, go to http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/entertainment/51833642-81/music-traditions-living-touré.html.csp
Living Traditions FestivalWhat » An annual celebration of Salt Lake's folk and ethnic artsWhen » Friday, May 20 from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m.; Saturday, May 21 from noon to 10 p.m.; Sunday, May 22 from noon to 7 p.m.Where » Salt Lake City & County Building, 451 S. State St., Salt Lake CityTickets » Free admission
Complete schedule » http://www.livingtraditionsfestival.com
Schedule of guest artists on North StageFriday, May 20 at 7 p.m. » Bomba EstéreoFriday, May 20 at 8:30 p.m. » Vieux Farka TouréSaturday, May 21 at 8:30 p.m. » Boukman Eksperyans