The Art of the Kora

This is an augmented reissue of the first commercial release of solo kora and griot music recorded in 1972. The late Jali Nyama Suso was a Gambian kora master and singer. In 1971 he was appointed to teach at the University of Washington — a first for a kora player. While in Washington he recorded the five tracks that made up the original LP. This CD reissue adds three more stunning tracks recorded in Gambia in 1970. One of these, ‘Kura’, features the jali muso (female griot singer) Jali Kani Sumano. It is a lengthy and striking example of a fierce female vocal performance dedicated to Sunjata Keita. Suso performs a beautifully understated and hypnotic accompaniment. ‘Fanta’ is more a modern popular song performed as a duet between kora and dobro.

Contemporary kora recordings by the likes of Dawda Jobarteh may be more sophisticated and progressive, but this reissue has equal technical brilliance and intensity, and represents traditional Gambian music at its purest.