Headfirst Editor's Pick
"Come hear celestial kora ringing through the 15th century hallows of Saint Stephen’s church, plucked by the Bristol Griot: Senegalese master musician Moussa Kouyaté. With Baraka’s balafon expert Ben Badoo and David Mowat on horns + a crash-course in ancestral griot culture by historian Bunja Conteh."
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A gig on Monday 6th May. The event starts at 13:00.
Big Bromo Promotions presents:
MOUSSA KOUYATÉ: THE BRISTOL GRIOT
An exquisite showcase by a virtuoso kora/balafon duo.
A Diaspora! Festival 2024 event.
-
Moussa Kouyaté (Senegal): kora, vocals
Ben Badoo (Ghana): balafon, vocals
David Mowat (Switzerland/UK): trumpet, flugel horn
Bunja Conteh (Gambia): griot historian, speaker
Atmospheric in its church setting, this gently classy, life-affirming musical union between distinguished kora master Moussa Kouyaté, recognised as the 'Bristol Griot', and dazzling balafonist Ben Badoo celebrates the release of Kouyaté's superb studio album 'Tumultuous Journey'.
A mixture of subtlety and energy, the record takes in both ancient themes and new songs and was produced as a full band record with the rhythm section of the global jazz ensemble BEJE, harpist Emmy Broughton, and Suntou Susso, a rising international star of Afro-pop, on djembe.
This show balances stripped-back performances of songs from the album - Moussa matching the beautiful harp-like sound of his rippling kora playing against the bright, subtle percussive counterpoint of Ben's balafon (xylophone) - with excellent solos. And artfully interacting with the duo on trumpet and flugel horn is the sympathetic accompanist and skilled soloist David Mowat, leader of BEJE and a jazz composer and trumpeter with a love of unorthodox collaborations.
It's difficult to imagine greater empathy between three outstanding musicians triumphantly championing their crafts, bringing different cultures together, and embodying with every note they play their immense traditions.
Plus:
kora player and oral historian Bunja Conteh talks about the place of griots in West African society.
Runtime:
1pm: Bunja Conteh: 'The Griot Yesterday And Today' (lecture)
1.30pm: Kouyaté/Badoo/Mowat (live music set)
-
Moussa Kouyaté is a griot, a distinguished singer and instrumentalist from a long line of hereditary musicians / storytellers / oral historians / mediators / entertainers / praise singers whose craft is passed down from generation to generation. Born in 1956 into the oldest of the five griot (Jaly) families of the Mandika culture, Moussa inherited the music, histories and wisdom of the 72 generations of his Kouyaté ancestors. Many of his ancestors served as advisors to the Kings of Mali, including Mansa Musa, at the time thought to be the richest man in the world. Griot dynasties see themselves as the guardians of both the kora and an ancient oral tradition of history and poetry. Griots believe that their story can be traced back to a common ancestor: a black slave named Surakata, who lived in Mecca at the time of the prophet Muhammad.
Moussa is an acknowledged elder statesman of kora playing in the UK. The West African lute-harp, one of the traditional instruments of the Mandinka griots, is constructed from the bone-dry shell of a large gourd, the calabash, decorated and covered in cow or antelope hide; it has a long rosewood neck with 21 strings made from nylon fishing line. Sub‑Saharan Africa's most sophisticated native instrument, it is treated with great respect - students have to make a ritual offering of kola nuts before they touch the kora for the first time.
Moussa began fusing his traditional roots with modern genres in Dakar in the 1970s, performing with the likes of visionary Senegalese singer and cultural ambassador Baaba Maal, and Youssou N’Dour, 'perhaps the most famous singer in Senegal and much of Africa' (Rolling Stone). Moussa spent time living in Spain embracing flamenco influences before moving to England. Based in Bristol, Moussa has released the albums 'Kora Blues' in collaboration with blues guitarist Kevin Brown, and 'Bristol Griot' in collaboration with BEJE and concert harpist Emmy Broughton.
-
Ghanaian Ben Badoo, leader of the world music band Baraka, is one of the great showmen, an indefatigable musical phenomenon; onstage, it's as though he has been plugged directly into a power source. His balafon is a traditional West African instrument, similar in appearance to a xylophone, with keys made of strips of wood that resonate through small calabashes (gourds) tied underneath. Dating from the 14th century, it is part of a family with members of differing sizes and designs due to its presence in several countries, including Burkina Faso, Mali, Guinea, and Senegal. The balafon has a unique timbre and vividly buzzes, as there is a rich trail of noise running alongside the notes, not dissimilar to the distortion of an electric guitar. A vessel of cultural identity, along with the kora, xalam, and n'goni, it was originally played by griots or royal African storytellers tasked with chronicling daily life.
-
Born into an extraordinary musical family in Brikama Town, Gambia, Bunja Conteh is a skilled kora player and oral historian in the tradition of Mandinka griots. His grandfather, Alhajie Bai Konteh, was the first to travel and introduce the kora to American audiences in the 1970s. A former teacher at the Konteh Kunda School Of Music in Brikama and Gambian history guide, Bunja now leads Afro-Welsh Connection and is currently authoring a book about the history of the West African griots and their relationship with the kora. He is Moussa Kouyaté's nephew.
-
David Mowat is a jazz trumpeter, composer, bandleader, and producer, and the curator of concerts at St Stephen's Church, Bristol, and Cotham Club, Bristol.
-
Diaspora! is a new arts festival for Bristol and the South West, presented by the Diverse Artists Network (DAN). Taking place from 3-6 May 2024, this four-day, multi-venue event platforms and celebrates the wide variety of talent reflected in the region's underrepresented cultural communities. [diverseartistsnetwork.com/diaspora]
-
Big Bromo Promotions [hdfst.uk/big-bromo-promo] in association with Cotham Club Bristol [hdfst.uk/cotham-club].
Big Bromo Promotions is a cultural organisation that brings people together through music, producing industry-leading live music events, creative engagement projects, and talent development schemes. Cotham Club Bristol is a brilliant, eclectic, monthly live global music club with a passion for community at its core.
Entry requirements: no age restrictions
MOUSSA KOUYATÉ: THE BRISTOL GRIOT
An exquisite showcase by a virtuoso kora/balafon duo.
A Diaspora! Festival 2024 event.
-
Moussa Kouyaté (Senegal): kora, vocals
Ben Badoo (Ghana): balafon, vocals
David Mowat (Switzerland/UK): trumpet, flugel horn
Bunja Conteh (Gambia): griot historian, speaker
Atmospheric in its church setting, this gently classy, life-affirming musical union between distinguished kora master Moussa Kouyaté, recognised as the 'Bristol Griot', and dazzling balafonist Ben Badoo celebrates the release of Kouyaté's superb studio album 'Tumultuous Journey'.
A mixture of subtlety and energy, the record takes in both ancient themes and new songs and was produced as a full band record with the rhythm section of the global jazz ensemble BEJE, harpist Emmy Broughton, and Suntou Susso, a rising international star of Afro-pop, on djembe.
This show balances stripped-back performances of songs from the album - Moussa matching the beautiful harp-like sound of his rippling kora playing against the bright, subtle percussive counterpoint of Ben's balafon (xylophone) - with excellent solos. And artfully interacting with the duo on trumpet and flugel horn is the sympathetic accompanist and skilled soloist David Mowat, leader of BEJE and a jazz composer and trumpeter with a love of unorthodox collaborations.
It's difficult to imagine greater empathy between three outstanding musicians triumphantly championing their crafts, bringing different cultures together, and embodying with every note they play their immense traditions.
Plus:
kora player and oral historian Bunja Conteh talks about the place of griots in West African society.
Runtime:
1pm: Bunja Conteh: 'The Griot Yesterday And Today' (lecture)
1.30pm: Kouyaté/Badoo/Mowat (live music set)
-
Moussa Kouyaté is a griot, a distinguished singer and instrumentalist from a long line of hereditary musicians / storytellers / oral historians / mediators / entertainers / praise singers whose craft is passed down from generation to generation. Born in 1956 into the oldest of the five griot (Jaly) families of the Mandika culture, Moussa inherited the music, histories and wisdom of the 72 generations of his Kouyaté ancestors. Many of his ancestors served as advisors to the Kings of Mali, including Mansa Musa, at the time thought to be the richest man in the world. Griot dynasties see themselves as the guardians of both the kora and an ancient oral tradition of history and poetry. Griots believe that their story can be traced back to a common ancestor: a black slave named Surakata, who lived in Mecca at the time of the prophet Muhammad.
Moussa is an acknowledged elder statesman of kora playing in the UK. The West African lute-harp, one of the traditional instruments of the Mandinka griots, is constructed from the bone-dry shell of a large gourd, the calabash, decorated and covered in cow or antelope hide; it has a long rosewood neck with 21 strings made from nylon fishing line. Sub‑Saharan Africa's most sophisticated native instrument, it is treated with great respect - students have to make a ritual offering of kola nuts before they touch the kora for the first time.
Moussa began fusing his traditional roots with modern genres in Dakar in the 1970s, performing with the likes of visionary Senegalese singer and cultural ambassador Baaba Maal, and Youssou N’Dour, 'perhaps the most famous singer in Senegal and much of Africa' (Rolling Stone). Moussa spent time living in Spain embracing flamenco influences before moving to England. Based in Bristol, Moussa has released the albums 'Kora Blues' in collaboration with blues guitarist Kevin Brown, and 'Bristol Griot' in collaboration with BEJE and concert harpist Emmy Broughton.
-
Ghanaian Ben Badoo, leader of the world music band Baraka, is one of the great showmen, an indefatigable musical phenomenon; onstage, it's as though he has been plugged directly into a power source. His balafon is a traditional West African instrument, similar in appearance to a xylophone, with keys made of strips of wood that resonate through small calabashes (gourds) tied underneath. Dating from the 14th century, it is part of a family with members of differing sizes and designs due to its presence in several countries, including Burkina Faso, Mali, Guinea, and Senegal. The balafon has a unique timbre and vividly buzzes, as there is a rich trail of noise running alongside the notes, not dissimilar to the distortion of an electric guitar. A vessel of cultural identity, along with the kora, xalam, and n'goni, it was originally played by griots or royal African storytellers tasked with chronicling daily life.
-
Born into an extraordinary musical family in Brikama Town, Gambia, Bunja Conteh is a skilled kora player and oral historian in the tradition of Mandinka griots. His grandfather, Alhajie Bai Konteh, was the first to travel and introduce the kora to American audiences in the 1970s. A former teacher at the Konteh Kunda School Of Music in Brikama and Gambian history guide, Bunja now leads Afro-Welsh Connection and is currently authoring a book about the history of the West African griots and their relationship with the kora. He is Moussa Kouyaté's nephew.
-
David Mowat is a jazz trumpeter, composer, bandleader, and producer, and the curator of concerts at St Stephen's Church, Bristol, and Cotham Club, Bristol.
-
Diaspora! is a new arts festival for Bristol and the South West, presented by the Diverse Artists Network (DAN). Taking place from 3-6 May 2024, this four-day, multi-venue event platforms and celebrates the wide variety of talent reflected in the region's underrepresented cultural communities. [diverseartistsnetwork.com/diaspora]
-
Big Bromo Promotions [hdfst.uk/big-bromo-promo] in association with Cotham Club Bristol [hdfst.uk/cotham-club].
Big Bromo Promotions is a cultural organisation that brings people together through music, producing industry-leading live music events, creative engagement projects, and talent development schemes. Cotham Club Bristol is a brilliant, eclectic, monthly live global music club with a passion for community at its core.
Entry requirements: no age restrictions
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