Inspirational album-‘Kora Dance’ finally out Africa » Gambia Friday, August 02, 2013 The much anticipated inspirational album of Soto Koto Band entitled the ‘Kora Dance’ is finally out in the market. The album features-Jaliba Kuyateh, widely acredited as the master of the 21-string African harp known as the kora. The album, comprising powerful African rhythms and melodies blend with the vibrant horns of American Jazz musicians is a must grab piece. The album Kora Dance is a stage show of two hours with dancing and singing girls from The Gambia and an all-star band direct from Africa known as the Kumareh band. It was produced and arranged by Oko Drammeh at the Soto Koto Music Label, Hollywood, USA. renowned for being a man of music and king of the kora sound, Jaliba started singing in small groups and parties and at the same time attending school, playing kora and learning the trade of the music business in Banjul in the shadows of Ifangbondi Band. He found his way to Senegal and Guinea Bissau singing River Gambia kora-blues. He later traveled to abroad notably to London, Paris, Amsterdam and the United States and everywhere, he played the people would applaud. This gained him international fame in Amsterdam, were he played at the African Music Festival in the Paradiso with other major African stars. Jaliba, is a great singer known as the “Kumareh Bird” because of his silky voice. Without his singing, playing and dancing, the kora music would not have been the same. From this time on he had no other name than Jali, a noble role as a griot ordained by the community and respected by all. He is the driving force of the Gambian music scene and a man who made the instrument of kora well known in the world from The Gambia. Jaliba advanced the kora sound mixing it with modern European and American instruments. He became the driving force of contemporary Manding music by making the kora sound a unique brand of contemporary music that appeals to Blues & Jazz lovers, funky ambience, Urban and even Kora Hip Hop. If you listen to the song ‘Bantaba’, in which he duets with Karin Patterson, this tune has an irresistible American brand of funk with the English glowing voice of Karin and the flow of the tingling kora sound, which give the industry a new music of cultural diversity. Jaliba performs his show both plugged with an 6-piece band from Africa and unplugged sessions with international artistes like those who played on his worldly–global sounds album ‘Kora Dance’ including : Don Grusin, a veteran GRP Jazz pianist, played with Miles Davis, Bill Summers (percussionist for Quincy Jones and Herbie Hancock, Larry Williams of Michael Jackson worked on Thriller and a pianist for Al Jerreau, Gary Herbig who played sax solo on Stevie Wonder & Beyonce hits, Leon Ware (Backing vocals for Michael Jackson and Marvin Gaye ) Karin Patterson (Backing Vocals for Tina Turner) among a host of other big names in music. Jaliba Kuyateh is a legend in his lifetime. He is one of the greatest living luminaries of Gambian music. His whole life has been dedicated to playing music and he is solely responsible for the introduction of Gambian kora music to millions of people outside The Gambia and he has elevated the prestige of Gambian music in the music world. For this, his name will go down in letters of gold in the history of world music. Meanwhile, the ‘Kora Dance’ CD is available on sale @ the Kerewan Sounds in Banjul. Go get the CD and make Gambia music proud as limited copies available. Call 00220/ 7651000 & 7732786. Author: Sheriff Janko
Posted on: Fri, 02 Aug 2013 15:21:20 +0000
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