On The Heels Of Their New Album, World Music Institute presents TAL NATIONAL From Niger, 2/23

World Music Institute is thrilled to present Tal National at Brooklyn's Littlefield on February 23, two weeks after the release of the band's newest album Tantabara on Fat Cat Records.

By the time Tal National reached international acclaim with 2013's Kaani, the band's first release outside of Niger, they had spent more than a decade crisscrossing Niger, usually on dirt pathways through the Sahara, playing epic five-hour sets, seven days a week, selling their CDs on street corners. In the process, they became Niger's most popular band. Audiences in the West and critics quickly embraced the band's singular and well-honed sound.

Their second album Zoy Zoy is a distillation of Tal National's traditional roots and tireless drive into pure joy and celebration. The songs are intense yet sophisticated, combining original numbers with new arrangements of West African folk songs.

Niger has no proper recording studios, musical instrument shops or record stores, and the drummer makes his own sticks. Despite this, or perhaps because of it, Tal National thrives in a country parched of resources but teeming with music and rhythm.

For the complete 2017-2018 season schedule, please visit www.worldmusicinstitute.org

THE NEW YORK TIMES Founded in 1985 as a not-for-profit, World Music Institute (WMI) has served as one of the leading presenters of world music and dance within the United States.

WMI is committed to presenting the finest in traditional and contemporary music and dance from around the world with the goal of inspiring wonder for world cultures through music and dance. WMI aims to enrich the lives of people living in New York by promoting awareness of other cultures and their traditions. WMI collaborates with community organizations and academic institutions in fostering greater understanding and appreciation of the world's cultural traditions and presents at venues throughout the city.

Under new leadership since 2015, its 30th anniversary season, World Music Institute has introduced an ambitious expansion of concert offerings that include contemporary, experimental and avant-garde presentations, as well as the traditional music that WMI has long been known and admired for. In addition, the institution is thrilled to have launched new partnerships with BAM, 92nd Street Y, SummerStage, Merkin Concert Hall, National Sawdust, Storm King Art Center, Le Poisson Rouge, Littlefield and Drom-while continuing partnerships with The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Town Hall, Symphony Space, French Institute Alliance Francaise, and Apollo Theater (the annual Africa Now festival).

WMI has presented more than 1,500 concerts and events featuring artists from more than 100 countries across all continents. Through powerful programming, WMI is creating a movement that promotes awareness and engagement of other cultures, helping to encourage deeper understanding of communities around the globe.

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