Robert Browning Associates, Lotus Music & Dance, and Roulette Present Opening Concert Of Robert Browning Associates' Winter-Spring Season

Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba return to Roulette after their breathtaking performance last spring. Bassekou, descended from a long line of griots (storytellers/historians), is Mali's legendary master of the ngoni, an ancient West African lute that is an ancestor of the banjo.

Renowned for his innovations, he takes the ngoni into the 21st century and is credited with creating the first ensemble featuring ngonis of different sizes to provide the different ‘voices' needed for the music. In his long career, he has collaborated with such musical icons as Toumani Diabate, Ali Farka Toure, Taj Mahal, Paul McCartney, Bono, Bonnie Raitt and Bela Fleck, and toured the world with his powerful Ngoni Ba ensemble.

Amy Sacko, Bassekou's wife, performs lead vocals and has been called the “Tina Turner of Mali.” In addition, Ngoni Ba features Bassekou's brother Moctar Kouyate (calebasse (gourd), his son Mamadou Kouyate (ngoni bass), and his nephew Mahamadou Tounkara (yabara, tama (talking drum)). The concert will include selections from Bassekou's last album, Miri (2019), which was one of the Best Albums of the Year in Songlines magazine and ranked #1 in the world music charts in Europe in February and March of 2019.

 

Bassekou Kouyate, born in the small village of Garana, is unquestionably the most innovative and exciting Malian musician to have emerged in recent years. Having defied tradition, he continues to push the boundaries of his ancient musical heritage. His band Ngoni Ba features remarkable lead vocals of Amy Sacko, the ngoni in several differing tonal sizes, and percussion (talking drum, yabara, and calebasse). A major star amongst the new generation of African musicians, Bassekou has been revolutionary in establishing a new role for the ngoni, one of the oldest string instruments in Africa. Comprised of three strings, a calabash gourd and a wooden stick, it has been used for centuries as a secondary orchestral instrument and ceremonial device. By adding strings, developing new techniques of playing and defying tradition by plugging it in and experimenting with sound effects such as the wah-wah pedal, Bassekou has brought the instrument into the musical foreground where it is now a prominent feature of many Malian bands touring today. In Bassekou's hands, this instrument has grown to accommodate a wider melodic range and versatility, embracing western styles such as jazz, blues, and rock'n'roll.

 

Bassekou Kouyate and Ngoni Ba, which was formed in 2005, have performed at festivals around the world, including WOMAD, Glastonbury, and the North Sea Jazz Festival, and played hundreds of shows at prestigious venues, including the Royal Albert Hall in London and Carnegie Hall. Last year they toured the US, appearing at the Big Ears Festival, Savannah Music Festival, the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage and Telluride's Planet Bluegrass Festival.The group recorded 5 albums:  Segu Blue, which won two BBC Radio 3 Awards for World Music; the Grammy-nominated I Speak Fula; Jama Ko, which won Bassekou the Songlines Best Artist award in 2014; Ba Power, which was infused with rock'n'roll energy; and Miri, a reflective album focusing on love, friendship and family in times of crisis.

 

Photo Credit: Jonathan Fischer

 

Upcoming RBA concerts at Roulette:

Fri Mar 8: Sufi Chants of Pakistan: Hamza Akram Qawwal & Brothers

Sat Mar 9: Flamenco Festival: Antonia Jiménez & Inma La Carbonera

Sat Apr 6: Music of Armenia: Ara Dinkjian, Arsen Petrosyan & String Quartet

Sat Apr 20: New Journeys in Arabic Music: Firas Zreik & Ensemble

Fri Apr 26: Indian Masters: Shahid Parvez, sitar

Sat Apr 27: Indian Masters: Alam Khan, sarod