Taling Dimalu: Beautiful Tales

Kora player Kadialy Kouyaté has woven a stellar reputation since arriving in London from Casamance, southern Senegal in 2003. Born into a respected lineage of griots, Kouyaté started out as a singer before moving to Dakar and playing traditional tunes on the kora, the 21-string harp, as per hundreds of other young wannabes. To make his mark he began composing tunes that were inventive yet respectful of tradition. He has also proved himself a malleable collaborator; in the UK he's worked with everyone from Baaba Maal and jazz reedsman Shabaka Hutchings to the Afro Celt Sound System and the Royal Shakespeare Company, landing a consultancy role on the remake of TV series Roots shown on the BBC in 2016 and an ongoing teaching fellowship at SOAS. Where 2016's Na Kitabo was Kouyaté's first band album, Taling Dimalu finds him flying solo through nine innovative instrumentals grouped under themes including love, humility, happiness and betterment. His maestro status is palpable throughout.

Recorded in one take, without overdubs, in a late-night session at SOAS, this is music as healing, as positive energy. It is technically impressive and spiritually moving. Compositions skip, shimmer and cascade, delicate here, more forceful there, as Kouyaté simultaneously wields melody, bass line and accompaniment with the skill of a storyteller and the soul of a poet.