The Sahara Blues Movement...

Tinariwen is a group of Tuareg musicians from the sahara Desert region of northern Mali , the band was formed in 1979 ...The Tinariwen sound is primarily guitar-driven in the style known as assouf among the Tuareg people. The Tinariwen guitar style has its roots in West African music, specifically that from the "great bend" region along the Niger River, between Timbuktu and Gao. The core elements of Tinariwen's music are traditional Tuareg melodies and rhythms including those played on the shepherd's flute