Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Spotlight on Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba!


One of Mali’s most exciting, revolutionary and influential musicians, Bassekou Kouyate is the acknowledged master of the ngoni, an ancient, traditional West African lute that’s likely the African ancestor of the banjo. Kouyate has recorded with Taj Mahal, Ali Farka Toure and Vieux Farka Toure, was a key participant in Bela Fleck’s Throw Down Your Heart album as well as last year’s Mali-meets-Cuba hit album Afro-Cubism. With his four-ngoni band Ngoni Ba, Kouyate has rocked stages from Mali to London to New York with an updated traditional sound—a hypnotic groove spiced with tasty touches of Afro-beat and blues. They make their Dayton debut at Boll Theatre on Wednesday, November 16.

Thought the ngoni is an ancestor of the banjo, it often sounds more like an electric guitar in Kouyate's hands. Add percussion, vocals and dance-friendly rhythms, and you've got a show that's sure to brighten up the middle of your work week.



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