The River Gambia at dawn
Excuse the radio silence in these parts. We’re currently regenerating ourselves for the coming season and there will be plenty of content coming very soon. For now, on a humid Monday morning, what more could you want than a couple of tracks from the very wonderful Alhaji Bai Konte?
Alhaji Bai Konte – Fayunkonko
Alhaji Bai Konte – Alhaji Bamba Bojang
From CNN, a story about a Gambian kora player entertaining commuters and travellers on the New York underground.
Dazzling.
Bela Fleck in The Gambia
Bela Fleck has for many years been one of the world’s premier banjo players. In 2005 he decided to trace the banjo’s roots back to the heart of Africa – the instrument’s birthplace. It has long been thought that the banjo was introduced to the west by African slaves, who carried the instrument with them on their long tortuous journeys from the mainland. The Gambia was one of Fleck’s early stopping points where he played with a host of musicians – the results of which can be heard on the album he has recently released to celebrate his journey: Throw Down Your Heart.
There are a number of fascinating articles about Fleck’s journey, but two of the best are available at the BBC site (including a wonderful slide show of Sascha Paladino’s photographs and an audio commentary from Fleck himself) and over at Pop Matters. There is also a fantastic session at NPR featuring Fleck playing with the legendary Malian kora master, Toumani Diabate.
See also the short video below, showing a brief account of Fleck’s journey.
I’m not the only one who has noticed spring making its slow way across these February days. You can see it in people as they emerge from their cars, houses, buildings - a subtle shift of the head position and the posture as the senses pick up all that new life; there might even be a slight pause as the body remembers the shape and grip of the changed air.
So to help with the summoning forth of warmer times, here is some Kora playing from a Gambian master - Griot Lamin Saho. For anyone who has been to The Gambia the extraordinary intricacies of this instrument can’t fail to take you back, to the heat, the roar of life…
Matt
Smith
Kathy Burrington
Joyce Stavroulakis
Gill
Sealey
Katie Bushnell
