The pairing of a European classical pedal harp with an African 21-string kora sounds very unusual at first sight, but the rare duo recording of Welsh harpist Catrin Finch and Senegalese kora player Seckou Keita is a truly remarkable feat. The association of the two stringed instrument from two different continents is the ... [Continue Reading]
kora
Ablaye Cissoko & Volker Goetze: Amanké Dionti
Born in Saint-Louis (Senegal), Ablaye Cissoko is a singer and kora player who hails from a family of griots, the West-African repositories of the local songs, poems and stories handed down from one generation to the next through oral tradition. Having recorded three solo albums to date - [amazon ... [Continue Reading]
Rokia Traoré: Titati/Africa Unite
Malian singer songwriter Rokia Traoré’s “Roots” project emerged as a continuation of the Desdemona multimedia collaboration she contributed to in 2011. Written by American novelist and 1993 Nobel Prize laureate Toni Morrison and staged by experimental theatre director Peter Sellars, [amazon text=Desdemona&asin=1849433895] is ... [Continue Reading]
Jack DeJohnette & Foday Musa Suso: Ocean wave
Between 2003 and 2005, innovative Gambian kora player Foday Musa Suso and legendary jazz drummer Jack DeJohnette toured together and recorded [amazon text=Music from the hearts of the masters&asin=B000MRP3JY] (2005), a wonderful collaboration between two genuine masters of their respective instruments. The kora is a ... [Continue Reading]
Foday Musa Suso & Philip Glass: Spring waterfall
Born in The Gambia in 1950, Foday Musa Suso is a traditional West African Griot or Jali (an oral historian, storyteller and musician) and a master of the kora, the 21-string traditional African harp. In 1977, the musician relocated to Chicago and has since collaborated with dozens of musicians including Philip Glass, Herbie ... [Continue Reading]
