Jimmy Buffett maps summer tour plans

Buffett is touring in support of his latest release, Buffet Hotel. The new album, his 28th studio effort and first since 2006, was released last December through the singer’s own label Mailboat Records. The title track has a strong West African influence and was conceived during a trip to the “Festival In The Desert,” a music festival that takes place annually near Timbuktu, Mali. “It was one of the best musical experiences of my life,” said Buffett in a press release. It was there that he ran across the Buffet Hotel, an old colonial era train station/hotel where the music scene flourished in Mali after its independence in 1960. Parrotheads may recall three of the new tunes from last year’s tour: “Summerzcool,” which became the 2009 tour name; “A Lot To Drink About,” a commentary on current events; and “Surfing In A Hurricane,” the first surf song Buffett has ever written.