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Kora (african instrument/record related)

pcmrpcmr 5,591 Posts
edited November 2005 in Strut Central
At my dad's poetry reading yesterday he was being accompanied by a Kora playerI fell in,love with that harmonic sound again. The Kora is a 21 string traditional instrument that could be considered a harp and a guitar at the same time. You play it with both hands and its resonance cage is made out the fruit calebasse. Their are great kora playing families across the west-african continent with knoledge being passed down from genration to generation. Iam lucky enoughto know a player hailing from a great family. It's crazy to see a master play it as harpic melodies are accompanied by a fury of punctuated string "licks". Crazy dexterity and skill, wonderful soundsBaba Maal's band has a great kora player but my favorite is Jaliba Kuyateh He has been recording in Gambia for a while this album is a good introduction to the sound. Site about the Kora audio samples Just wanted to know if the strut was aware of this sound or if yall had cuts to recommend

  Comments

  • dsandersdsanders 495 Posts
    Herbie Hancock - Village Life w/Foday Musa Soso
    Danny Thompson & Toumani Diabate - Ketama/Songhai
  • LaserWolfLaserWolf Portland Oregon 11,517 Posts
    Hopefully, most are at least familiar with Salif Kita. Mandingo Griot Socity is another place where most of us have heard the kora. It is a harp, since it is not fretted I wouldn't call it a guitar.

    The kora is a West African musician most associated with Mali. Harp type instruments are found all over Africa. I had an Ethiopian record with all kinds of harps on it. One of the best was a 5 string bass harp. Another strutter has that now and can give more details.

    Madigascar has the coolest harp/zither type instrutments.

    Great post.

    Dan
  • pcmrpcmr 5,591 Posts

    The kora is a West African musician most associated with Mali. Harp type instruments are found all over Africa. I had an Ethiopian record with all kinds of harps on it. One of the best was a 5 string bass harp. Another strutter has that now and can give more details.

    Madigascar has the coolest harp/zither type instrutments

    I'd love to see/hear that

    Balafon is another great instrument



    Whats the name of the african drum with strings around it plays with a stick and has great echoey signs.
  • LaserWolfLaserWolf Portland Oregon 11,517 Posts
    Whats the name of the african drum with strings around it plays with a stick and has great echoey signs.

    Talking drum is what I call it. It carrys the melody in Nigerian ju-ju music. King Sunny Ade has some records that are easy to find under $10.00.

    Dan
  • pickwick33pickwick33 8,946 Posts
    I think Taj Mahal played a kora in the movie Sounder.
  • LaserWolfLaserWolf Portland Oregon 11,517 Posts
    The Balafone or Marimba was popuarized in the Pacific Northwest by Dumi (and one of his wives Mychi).

    img src=" http://www.marimba.freewebspace.com/images/085%2Ddumi.JPG " alt="" />
    Dumi on the congas.

    They took the mbira music of the Shona people of Zimbabwe and arranged it for a chorus of marimbas.




    Mbira

    Nothing gets hippys, including me, like Shona music on marimbas. Dumi's groups were by far the best, he brought an unbelivable energy to the stage. I was fortunate to get to know Mychi why she was living in Portland. Sadly they have both died.

    They designed their marimbas to have an inherant hum, just as the mbira has a rattle caused by the bottle caps attached to the gourd. When the bass marimba starts up it is a very exciting sound. Sadly because of the hum, and the type of bass sound it does not record well. Dumi recorded about 4 or 5 records, mostly private press, but also one on Nonesuch. Today their are hippy marimba bands all up the West Coast thanks to Dumi's legacy.



    their daughter lives in Zimbabwe and has some very deep Afropop records.


    Stella

    Dan


  • DrWuDrWu 4,021 Posts
    Herbie Hancock made a great CD only recording called Jazz Africa two quiet tunes and two ripping funkyish jams. Not easy to track down as it is now out of print. Start digging, batches.

    Saw Diabete with Taj Mahal several years. Some of the most soulful playing you'd ever hear. Taj finally found a way to bring the blues to Africa.
  • SolidState16SolidState16 181 Posts
    Un Fleche Malienne -Ama Maiga


    Bad-ass Malian kora player + full horn section + late 70's/early 80's Afro funk =



    Not sure if he did anything else...to my knowledge this was his only LP.
  • batmonbatmon 27,574 Posts
    Herbie Hancock - Village Life w/Foday Musa Soso

    Co-sign.

  • pcmrpcmr 5,591 Posts
    Un Fleche Malienne -Ama Maiga


    Bad-ass Malian kora player + full horn section + late 70's/early 80's Afro funk =



    Not sure if he did anything else...to my knowledge this was his only LP.

    Sounds fucking

    Thanks for the recomendations..
    Talking drums is outrageous these sounds have great produciton value and the music is just beautiful.
  • DocMcCoyDocMcCoy "Go and laugh in your own country!" 5,913 Posts
    I saw Don Cherry playing a kora when he toured in support of The Slits some twenty-odd years ago now. It was the first time I'd ever come across the instrument, and I'm sure he made some records with it as well (Relativity Suite?), but I've never been able to track them down.

    The recent Toumani Diabate & Ali Farka Toure album, "In The Heart Of The Moon", is definitely worth checking out. It's one of my favourite albums of the year. All of it is live, one-take guitar & kora improvisations, with some subtle overdubs added later - the kind of shit you can really get lost in. I saw them play in London earlier in the year, and it was some incredible shit.
  • pcmrpcmr 5,591 Posts
    I saw Don Cherry playing a kora when he toured in support of The Slits some twenty-odd years ago now. It was the first time I'd ever come across the instrument, and I'm sure he made some records with it as well (Relativity Suite?), but I've never been able to track them down.

    The recent Toumani Diabate & Ali Farka Toure album, "In The Heart Of The Moon", is definitely worth checking out. It's one of my favourite albums of the year. All of it is live, one-take guitar & kora improvisations, with some subtle overdubs added later - the kind of shit you can really get lost in. I saw them play in London earlier in the year, and it was some incredible shit.



    Essential artist. Malian legend. We could have a whole thread of essential african artists.

    Will check that release out. And go back to dig some of my dad`s cd`s out.
    Don cherry on the kora was he playin it well?
  • DocMcCoyDocMcCoy "Go and laugh in your own country!" 5,913 Posts
    I saw Don Cherry playing a kora when he toured in support of The Slits some twenty-odd years ago now. It was the first time I'd ever come across the instrument, and I'm sure he made some records with it as well (Relativity Suite?), but I've never been able to track them down.

    The recent Toumani Diabate & Ali Farka Toure album, "In The Heart Of The Moon", is definitely worth checking out. It's one of my favourite albums of the year. All of it is live, one-take guitar & kora improvisations, with some subtle overdubs added later - the kind of shit you can really get lost in. I saw them play in London earlier in the year, and it was some incredible shit.



    Essential artist. Malian legend. We could have a whole thread of essential african artists.

    Will check that release out. And go back to dig some of my dad`s cd`s out.
    Don cherry on the kora was he playin it well?

    Yeah, if you like West African music, you should track that album down. As for Don - well, I dunno if he was playing it well or not, but it sounded good, and he got into a nice, swinging, 12/8 groove with it. He did a little monologue about the instrument while he played, and he referred to it as a doussoungoni (sp?) or something. It was a long time ago now, so my memory of it's a little unclear.
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