Vieux Farka Touré brings his music, inspired by life in Mali, to the California coast.

Not all music sticks with us. But Vieux Farka Touré, performing Thursday, May 5 at the Henry Miller Memorial Library for the first time, is maker of memorable songs. Perhaps this has something to do with the intention of his process. Perhaps it has to do with his roots.

“When I first started making music, I was of course very familiar with all the great Malian musicians (my father, Toumani Diabate, Afel Bocoum),” Touré says. “My father also introduced me to American blues musicians like John Lee Hooker, B.B. King and Taj Mahal.”

For context, Vieux’s father is the late Ali Farka Touré, a multi-Grammy Award winning artist who is revered as a pioneer of Desert Blues, a genre incorporating elements of West and Saharan African sound with American blues.

Despite his father’s reluctance for his son to become a musician, the younger Touré was dedicated to his musical journey. Beginning in 2007 with an eponymous debut album, Touré released an album a year for the next four years, hit the Billboard World Album charts (as No. 5 in 2009), performed at the opening ceremony of the 2010 World Cup and has toured the globe.

His upcoming album, Les Racines – French for “the roots” – was recorded in his home in Bamako, Mali, and produced at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“On Les Racines I focused on the rich musical traditions of Mali,” Touré says. “In addition to my guitar and vocals, the album uses Malian instruments such as the ngoni, kora and calabash drum. I was able to really craft the arrangements for each song.”

Touré notes that while the new album is inspired by life in Mali, it also touches on themes of love, parenthood and the need for unity. “I see music as an important way to expose people to new ideas and introduce the world to Malian culture and some of the issues that people in West Africa face,” Touré says.

His Big Sur performance will feature new songs and probably one or two of his father’s; Ali gave his son his blessing before he died in 2006.

“Receiving this blessing was extremely important to me,” Touré says. “The wisdom my father passed on to me very much guides my decision-making.”

VIEUX FARKA TOURÉ performs at 7pm Thursday, May 5; doors open at 6pm. Henry Miller Memorial Library, 48603 Highway 1, Big Sur. $90. Proof of vaccination or negative PCR test required. folkyeah.com