Text & Pictures
By Emmanuel Mwendwa

The power of a live concert – replete with varied acoustic, traditional instruments, never fails to thrill. Last month’s sterling performance in Nairobi, at the Alliance Française gardens by Guinean leading griot music exponents Ba Cissoko band – was no exception.

With two Kora harps, one acoustic and the other electric – taking prominence on stage, a dynamic and intoxicating ensemble was created by the four-piece West African band. The quartet climbed on stage bubbling with instantly recognizable raw energy – and performed an exciting, vibrant and no-holds-barred nearly one and half hour non-stop set.

“I’m glad to be in Kenya for the first time”, intoned the amiable Cissoko after they performed a slow-tempo opening track Allah Lake . The audience easily got swept into contagious dance moves – swaying along to the irresistibly heady Guinean fusion of afro-pop and reggae flavoured tunes best described as a raw urban sound.

Reputed to hail from a long lineage of griots – renown as West Africa ’s ancient agile singers and traditional harp string pluckers – the Ba Cissoko group perpetuates an ancient tradition and history through their music, an innovative blend of traditional kora melodies with eclectic reggae, blues and rock influences.

“In the Mandinka tradition, my father, great grandfather and our family – we are all griots and Kora players; this instrument has been in my family for centuries. The griots are the memory of Africa , they tell stories to keep our history and heritage alive. They also have a very important societal role in the community, they perform during cultural baptisms, weddings and often are called upon to solve communal conflicts”, noted Cissoko in an interview.

He refers to the Kora as the ‘king’ or ‘queen’ of traditional African instruments. “A Kora player has to follow rules and codes passed on through generations by our ancestors, we still play tunes they used to play, we rarely have libraries or written history in African communities — griots use Koras among other traditional African instruments like: balafon, n’goni, djembe – to sustain and preserve our cultural traditions”, added Cissoko. Indisputably, the Kora harp is widely acknowledged as Africa ’s musical symbol hence the name for continent’s premier music showcase Kora awards. But in the ancient past, it was considered as an exclusively griots' instrument though in recent years it has gained renewed status as a solo concert instrument – also used as complementary to European classical pianos and violins. It’s treasured facet is its capability to blend with both electric and acoustic instruments. Cissoko recalls being introduced into rudiments of playing the Kora barely aged 12 though at onset he was not really interested in music and rather preferred soccer.

But under tutelage of his great uncle M’bady Kouyate, celebrated as one of West Africa ’s famous Kora maestros, he perfected his skills. Besides the acoustic Kora, Cissoko is band’s lead vocalist and also dabbles in playing the Tamani drums. Incidentally, two core band members are his cousins Kourou – on bass guitar, bolofon and Sekou Kouyate – who plays the electic Kora and Tamani drums. Percussionist Ibrahim Bah, an ex- street boy in Guinea ’s capital city Conakry plays the n’jembe, crin, calebasse and drum set. Indeed, it is the band’s prowess and skillful performance of traditional instrumental ensemble which distinctly sets them apart from peers. “We have perfected a harmonizing interplay between my acoustic Kora and Sekou’s plucking of the electric Kora.

I taught him and passed on playing skills when he was 5 years old — and being M’bady’s son – means we have in common the same spirit”, explained Cissoko.

World music pundits describe the band’s style as a unique cross breed of modernity and ancient tradition. “They no longer make use of the traditional Kora made with goat skin rings – because it is very difficult to tune and have replaced cultural rings with metal keys. Sekou uses pedal effects on his Kora to infuse a contemporary feel, which when blended with Cissoko’s strumming the acoustic Kora – this adds to their music a new sound, something which people call an urban sound. It is this collision or fusion of sound between old and new that really animates their music”, noted the band manager Hugh Greg.

Growing up in tiny Kundara village, north of Conakry city, Cissoko and his cousins were at teenage exposed to Western and traditional African music hence the pivotal feel of these influences in their compositions. “On stage or when recording, we play some tunes which are more traditional yet still infused with a modern feel – we like to intersperse our songs with a touch of reggae, blues, jazz or even rock tunes to broaden appeal for our music not only within Africa but international audiences. Making music and playing the Kora is very natural for us”, said Cissoko. Prior to their gig in Nairobi – Ba Cissoko, often compared to Jimi Hendrix for spearheading the revolution of traditional griot music – performed in more than 11 UK cities as part of the ‘African Soul Rebels’ concerts headlined by Femi Kuti and Positive Force band.

They toured London , Liverpool , Leicester , Manchester , Edinburgh , Coventry and Bristol among other UK cities. Sharing the stage with Femi was a significant pointer to the band’s fast rising status and profile on the world music circuit.

The mood at the Alliance Française gardens was momentarily transformed into a carnival of sorts as their hard-edged yet enthralling songs like Mansoni, Wawata, Babo, King Kora, Silami, Sabolan, Dadala, Nina and Africa – turned on the crowd comprised of expatriate Europeans and local Afro-fusion enthusiasts. They performed mixed tracks from their two albums – Sabolan – Ba Cissoko’s debut CD released in 2003 and the latest 2006 production, 12-track CD Electric Griot Land. Songs therein include Griot Ba, Silani, Allah Lake , Le Rêve de L'oiseau, Africa , Women (Dounia Guinée), Adouna , On Veut se Marier, Tjedo, King Kora, Ma Grand-Mère and Sora.

The lyrics, alternating between the main Guinean Malinké, Susu and Peul languages – focus on myriad contemporary issues and burning questions – pitched from band’s daily life experiences as Third World musicians. Ba Cissoko collaborated with several musicians on their latest album among them Malian blind artiste Amadou Bagayoko, Somalian rapper K’naan on the track Silani, Cote D’Ivoirean reggae singer Tiken Jah Fakoly on song Africa, and Le Nubians on tracks Tjedo and Women.

“Working with other musicians and jamming with them in recording or live concerts, is also part of our griot tradition. But more important their skills and lyrical inclination are equally relevant to the style of our music. The response to these collaborative tunes with Tiken, K’naan and the Nubians has elicited an impressive feedback in Guinea and globally as well. It was a great pleasure working with them”, noted Cissoko.

Asked whether their afro-fusion music appeals to the younger generation who seem to prefer US-flavoured hip hop and rap – Cissoko said: “It is true African youth now listen to songs by Senegal ’s Akon, 50 Cent, Tupac and other American rappers. We also listen to the same songs and Nesta Bob Marley – but it is crucial for us that our songs strongly reflect our tradition. Cultural African music is still popular especially in the West since most foreigners are fascinated by songs created using ancient African instruments”.

But it was not until during 2004 that Ba Cissoko band broke into the international limelight after being invited to perform at Womex trade fair and music festival. The band became main attraction at Womex, their energy and inventiveness was reportedly breathtaking and overnight, Ba Cissoko became the event’s main discovery.

Their superb performance earned them a slot at prestigious Womad festival – before making it to finals of the competitive RFI World Music 2004 Awards. For a band whose sound is described as being “..as solid as the roots of one of West Africa ’s gigantic Baobab trees and as fresh as the sea breeze..’– Ba Cissoko appears destined to become one of Africa ’ most sought after performers.

So far, they have held shows in Djibouti , Uganda , Nigeria , Senegal , Belgium , Austria , Germany , Switzerland , Lithuania , Slovenia , Hungary , the Netherlands and Japan .

emmanuel@showbizeastafrica.com