Mdou Moctar performs in concert on his left-handed Fender Stratocaster.
WEST ORANGE, NJ – On Wednesday, May 2, at 7 p.m., Thomas Edison National Historical Park welcomes guitarist Mdou Moctar and his band from Agadez, Niger; Mdou Moctar will make sound recordings at Edison’s West Orange Laboratory using a 1909 wax cylinder phonograph. Internet users can watch live streaming video of the recording session via the park’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/ThomasEdisonNHP/. During this approximately 45-minute online program, the band will record a few “takes,” and a museum curator will explain the process as they work. In-person seating is available but limited; advance reservations, which are required, can be made by visiting https://tinyurl.com/ya7lxwbz or calling 973-736-0550, ext. 89.
Mdou Moctar is a Tuareg musician and songwriter, who performs modern electronic adaptations of Tuareg guitar music. His music achieved first acclaim in West Africa through a trading network of MP3 recordings on cell phones and memory cards. Playing a left-handed Fender Stratocaster, he sings about Islam, education, love and peace. Since 2008, Mdou Moctar has released four albums, and has appeared on several compilation albums. In 2015, he had the starring role in the world’s first feature film in a Tuareg language, “Akounak Tedalat Taha Tazoughai,” which translates as “Rain the Color of Blue with a Little Red in It,” an homage to Prince’s “Purple Rain.” Mdou Moctar and his band embark on their second tour of the United States in May this year.
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