San Jose » Calendar » Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni ba at Kuumbwa Jazz Center
Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni ba at Kuumbwa Jazz Center
Courtesy of Bennett Jackson | Posted on June 3, 2015
Where
Kuumbwa Jazz Center
320-2 Cedar Street
Santa Cruz, CA
Map
831-427-2227
When
Wed, August 12, 2015
7:00 pm
Save the date
Musicians
Bassekou Kouyate
variousMahamadou Tounkara
percussionAbout
Bassekou Kouyate (Buh-say-koo Koo-yah-tay), a griot from Mali, leads a six-member ensemble showcasing the ngoni – a traditional West African string instrument often compared to a lute – with African percussion: calebasse, yabara, and tama. His wife, Amy Sacko, is the group's lead vocalist. Although Kouyate's family griot tradition (storytellers) dates back to the 13th century Sundiata Keita empire, he is very much an artist of today, collaborating with contemporary pop musicians U2, Carlos Santana, Ali Farka Toure, Toumani Diabaté, and Youssou N'Dour. His most recent recording is entitled I Speak Fula. Taj Mahal has called him a genius....