Well, it turns out that Kane did connect with Toumani. Here’s his report:
Dude, it totally worked out. We sat around for another 45 minutes after you left and eventually Bela Fleck came in and walked over while I was playing and said, “sounds great.” He and I had a short exchange and complimented him on his performance the night before. Since Bela had arrived i was expecting Toumani at any moment but their manager told me they were just then going to get him. At that point we actually got kicked out! The house manager said they needed to prepare the room for the concert and so we could not be sitting in any of the seats but that we could sit on the edge of the stage or better yet OUTSIDE!
So with you gone my dwindling posse of Andrew and Michael we go outside and as confused and expectant as we were it was nice to be outside in the fresh air and sun. UNTIL…..a guy about 50 feet away starts spray painting a LADDER of all things with some of the nastiest smelling paint I’ve ever smelled and we all had to run away and it got Andrew coughing. We waited outside for about another hour and I was just playing Kora and then I hear my name over my shoulder and there is Toumani!
Finally, so we all go inside. But now Toumani invites me to follow him to the green room which is TINY!!!! and on top of that there is film crew trying to get footage of Toumani and Bela and so I am basically at the servers station two feet across with my Kora annoying EVERYBODY. While the hall clears for a moment the film crew starts filming me and are getting ALL up in my grill getting artsy angles and stuff. They lady takes my card and I have no idea what it was about UNTIL Toumani starts arguing with his manager about how the film crew has arranged nothing with him and he does not want to submit an interview without some kind of contract and why haven’t they contacted him ahead of time. He refuses to be interviewed and somebody in charge tries to tell me to get lost because they are having an interview and I shouldn’t be there, that strongarm jerk didn’t speak French and had no clue that not only was there no interview going on currently but there would be no interview. So HE’S telling me to get lost and Toumani is telling me to come inside and the film crew is bummed I’m coming inside with Andrew and Michel because they haven’t heard the news that they are getting nothing. In the meantime Toumani is trying to engage with me. The film crew gets bummed and kicked out and then it’s just me, Toumani, Andrew, and Michael and Toumani’s manager. So then it gets odder because the service people bring in lots of little glasses with ice and no water and then bring in lots of little cups of creamer an sugar but no coffee. Neither coffee nor water ever come and we are all tired and hot in this tiny little room.
Finally Toumani and I chat and we play for each other and Andrew and Michael and all talk to him for a bit, we get a picture and by the time we leave people are being seated for the 7:30 show. Man we got there at 4:00. The main house guy was super cool and gave me the number of their manger to see when Toumani would be there etc.
Man, that was odd.
