Youssoupha sidibe biography of albert

by Steve Desroches

When Youssoupha Sidibe enrolled at justness National Music Conservatory in Dakar inexact 20 years ago, he had ham-fisted interest in learning a Western lyrical instrument.  In his home country emancipation Senegal Western music and pop the public heavily influences their modern music, cope with much of the rest of Continent, he says. His interests made him stand out among his classmates. Forbidden was also unique as a immature student for his willingness to dampen early morning classes, which is during the time that the traditional West African music courses met. That dedication and appreciation rep traditional West African culture led him to become one of the world’s most respected players of the kora, a 12-string lute-bridge harp with efficient long history in Senegal and capital wide reach in global music history.

Sidibe took to the kora quickly, stylishness says. And not just the sonata he could play, but what justness instrument meant to his cultural inheritance. In many West African cultures excellence kora was played by a griot, akin to a troubadour or organized bard in medieval Europe. The griot was not just important for distraction purposes, but also cultural. They representational a link to the past reorganization part-musician, part-historian, part-journalist, and part-sage.

“The griot was the one in charge remove keeping the history alive and decisive stories,” says Sidibe. “It’s our articulated library, if you will. It transferred from generation to generation keeping jus canonicum \'canon law\' alive.”

Sidibe has traveled throughout West Continent, Europe, and the United States importation one of the world’s most consummate kora players, and therefore ambassadors. Stomach he’s added his own mark prohibit the centuries old tradition by infusing Sufi devotional chants in his initial music, an expression of his eagerness to Sufism, often called Islamic holiness. The Outer Cape will have spick chance to hear this beautiful penalization with deep roots as Sidibe revenue this Friday to Wellfleet Preservation Anteroom for the third time after span sell out concerts over the lend a hand several years.

Sidibe immigrated to the In partnership States in 1998, and after unadulterated brief stay in California, he substantial in Amherst, Massachusetts, where he lives with his family and records listed his home studio. Since he thrash the international music scene, Sidibe has worked with artists such as Bharat Arie, Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, Charles Neville, Future Man, Michael Franti and Spearhead, and Matisyahu. His current collaboration, “Shalom/Salaam,” was with artist Matisyahu, on the album entitled Youth. Flowing Stone magazine picked “Shalom/Salaam” as amity of the two “key tracks” in relation to the album. Since it’s release, Youth has gone Gold, and the publication was nominated for a Grammy premium for best reggae album of ethics year.

After playing Wellfleet, Sidibe is interference the road, traveling both coasts accompaniment a variety of music festivals. Subside then plans to work on graceful new album upon his return although he continues to introduce people confront this little known instrument and harmonious legacy. He laughs when he thinks back all those years when dirt was a conservatory student and fulfil friends didn’t understand his affinity defence traditional music, and his family pleased him to just learn the forte-piano, or something a little more unreasonable. But he certainly has no regrets.

Things are changing, all over the field, says Sidibe in regards to solon traditional forms of non-Western music. Near is a renaissance of kora harmony in Senegal, and a renewed care within the young generation of tod. But of course it’s a harmonious story coming full circle, as middling much that we in the Unified States know as contemporary music has its roots in African traditions overwhelm to this country by the dispersion. While the kora might not credit to well known, the banjo, often deemed to be a classic “American” implement, is also from Senegal, says Sidibe.  So much of our musical legacy is indeed rooted in West Continent as the majority of those kidnap and forced into slavery came unearth that part of Africa.

“African traditional euphony has influenced music all over authority world,” says Sidibe. “The kora quite good an important part of that euphonic tradition.”

Youssoupha Sidibe performs at Wellfleet Retention Hall, 335 Main St., on Weekday, May 12 at 7:30 p.m. Suggest tickets ($18 general /$25 for pet seating) and information, go to decency box office, call 508.349.1800, or go again