Tal National

Hailing from Niamey, the capital city of Niger, West Africa, the large ensemble band Tal National was formed in 2000 by charismatic ringleader and West African guitar master Hamadal Issoufou Moumine, also known as Almeida. Backed by anywhere from five to twelve musicians and singers, Almeida grew Tal National to be hugely popular on a local level through constant regional touring and ceaselessly energetic performances, happening as many as five nights a week and going for as long as five hours per show. First album Apokte was released in 2006 and they followed in 2008 with the better-recorded A-Na Waya, an album that established them as the premier band of their region, becoming hugely successful in Niger and reaching a greater audience elsewhere with the help of three different YouTube videos. In 2011 the band set out to record third album Kaani, put to tape in a dilapidated studio building with help of Chicago engineer Jamie Carter, who had also traveled to Niger to work on A-Na Waya. The group signed to Fat Cat Records in April of 2013 and Kaani's international release helped the band tour outside of their country.