pape sirinam kanoute griot from senegal - (Arc Music)

Throughout Mali, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Gambia and Mali the griot is the disseminator of oral tradition and history for the entire tribe. As a poet, historian and musician he assumed the intermediary role between the king and his people, translating their concerns or praises into song. Even today the griot is called upon to provide musical commentary at events such as weddings, baptisms or funerals.

The title is hereditary. In earlier days only those who descended from a griot family could perform these functions. The traditional instrument of the griot is the kora, a 21 string harp mounted on a split calabash gourd. the strings of which are usually made from fishing-line, giving the instrument its unique ringing tone. Senegalese saxophonist and kora player Pape Siriman Kanoute is descended from a family of Mandinga griots.

A conservatory trained musician he spent 10 years performing with the Senegalese National Orchestra in Dakar. He has also performed with the internationally renowned salsa group Africando and recorded with Sicilian world music group Agricantus...On his latest release Griot From Senegal, Pape paints traditional Senegalese music with some intriguing colours from other cultures and contemporary touches lovingly absorbed into the music without disturbing its hypnotic flow. Unlike most ARC records there is no personnel listing so I can't give the musicians their due. While a massed female choir provides those acerbic tones that could only come from West Africa, ngoni and kora ripple excitedly over distinct Senegalese rhythms and Pape testifies with acidic authority, you can also hear appropriate string arrangements, lovely acoustic guitar melodies or highly original interplay with didgeridoo, as on the stately Seremende.

At times a tabla can be detected joining in the flow of it all. On the opener Afrique Pape soars over the arrangements and rich sea of interplaying instruments with a brief soaring sax break. But as throughout the whole of this recording these elements are shadings around Pape's powerful vocal declamations and the complex, pulsing rhythms. True to African tradition the kora is a voice in the sweeping polyphony. As a point of entry I would suggest listening to the traditional piece Dioulo with its hypnotic conversations between ngoni, kora, sparse electronic backdrop, Pape's stately poetic utterings and the throbbing beats.

Then try the next song, the up-tempo Kewoulo, which is probably one of the most instantly accessible pieces here. While tapping a wide range of cultural sources Pape Kanoute has avoided the temptation to dress his music up in more conventional gear. I do hope that Griot From Senegal spreads Pape Kanoute's name far and wide for his is a relatively unknown yet highly original voice in the continuum of West African traditional music. July 2003.