Toumani Diabate Performs at Other Music
I guess it’s been about a month and a half since we last hosted a show here at the shop, and wow, I really missed the excitement. It was nice to get back at it, and especially exciting because last night we were treated to a special solo performance from Toumani Diabate, the Mali-born prince of the kora. As we learned during Diabate’s riveting performance and interview, the kora is a 700-year-old West African stringed instrument, somewhere between a lute and a harp. Diabate, born into a line of more than 70 accomplished griots, is commonly known as the finest kora player in the world, both maintaining the tradition in Mali, and also boldly innovating in a variety of groundbreaking contexts, from his Grammy-winning collaboration with Ali Farke Toure to his recent recordings with Bjork, and stellar recordings with Taj Majal, Roswell Rudd and so many others. He is in town performing with his Symmetric Orchestra, but in the shop we got a handful of solo kora pieces that left the room full of awe and joy. Diabate plays with such grace and dexterity, it is hard to believe that such complex and beautiful music is coming from one man, two thumbs and two index fingers! Anyways, great show, and you’ll see it soon enough right here!
Josh Madell
