At home in Niger, powerhouse Afropop collective Tal National plays for so long, and with so much energy, that substitute musicians are needed — in the middle of a show. That’s far more common in soccer matches than in music.
Led by guitarist Almeida, a former professional soccer player (and currently a judge), Tal National its reputation on mind-boggling musicianship and infectious energy.
“Kaaina,” a 2013 album, broke through in the West; “Zoy Zoy,” a follow-up recorded with Chicago producer Jamie Carter, gained even more critical praise, even as the band ratcheted up the rhythmic and formal complexity.
Tal National performs at Real Art Way’s Creative Cocktail Hour on Thursday, Aug. 20, from 6 to 10 p.m. Tickets are $5 to $10.
CTNow: When the members of Tal National first began performing together, did you find that most of you had similar influences?
Almeida: We first started playing together because we wanted to teach people to play musical instruments. We realized the best way to do that would be to start a band that performed regularly. The small group of us that started the band had already been playing in other bands. The influences were the same as they are today: everything. What we are exposed to is mostly West African music, but there are other international influences from the United States and France.
CTNow: During the recording of “Zoy Zoy” in Niamey, Niger, did song arrangements change much in the studio, or did songs change in terms of energy, while retaining their basic structures?
A: Half of the songs on “Zoy Zoy” were arranged in the studio. We had ideas, or in some cases traditional songs we were adapting, to work from. Once we were in the studio, it was time to formalize them and try to make the results as interesting to us as possible. The energy in the songs is very important, and besides playing the parts right, it’s the most important thing for us to correctly convey in the recording process. Songs like “Saraounia” rely heavily on the energy in order to get the message across.
CTNow: There are 13 members of Tal National. How does the energy change depending on how many musicians are performing?
A: There are 13 members of the band, but we don’t perform with all 13 at once. We have so many members because we need to have members available to relieve other members. It is similar to a sports team: our performances require so much physical energy, and are so long, that we need to put in new members to keep the performances going. Our regular performances in Niamey and our international touring performances are different in that, in Niamey, we have another guitar and two more backup singers. Sometimes, in Niamey, we also have a keyboard player.
CTNow: Growing up in Niger, was there any particular artist or musician you had hoped to see in person someday?
A: I am a very big fan of jazz music, and in particular George Benson. It would be a dream of mine to see him perform.
CTNow: How does Tal National craft its original compositions? Does one individual in the band write most of them, or are they collaborations? Where do you start?
A: They are collaborations. They have different parts that are developed by different people. For example, the bass player might come up with an interesting part and groove, and the rest of the band joins in to develop a song. From there, the singer will start to write lyrics to complete the songs. With our original compositions, a lot of the motivation behind writing the songs comes from pushing ourselves musically. We like new and challenging parts to play, so we have to keep writing more complicated parts to keep us on our toes.
TAL NATIONAL performs at Real Art Ways, 56 Arbor St., in Hartford on Thursday, Aug. 20, as part of its monthly Creative Cocktail Hour, which runs from 6 to 10 p.m., and will include a makers fair with 15 vendors and three exhibits. Tickets are $5-$10. Information: realartways.org and 860-232-1006.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to correct the spelling of the band’s name in the headline.
