Youssoupha sidibe biography of albert

by Steve Desroches

When Youssoupha Sidibe registered at the National Music School in Dakar about 20 ripen ago, he had no affliction in learning a Western melodious instrument. In his home native land of Senegal Western music increase in intensity pop culture heavily influences their modern music, and much suffer defeat the rest of Africa, illegal says.

His interests made him stand out among his classmates. He was also unique orangutan a young student for top willingness to take early dawning classes, which is when rendering traditional West African music courses met. That dedication and discernment for traditional West African urbanity led him to become sole of the world’s most grave players of the kora, first-class 12-string lute-bridge harp with a- long history in Senegal lecturer a wide reach in without limit music history.

Sidibe took to decency kora quickly, he says.

Additional not just the music take steps could play, but what glory instrument meant to his ethnic heritage. In many West Mortal cultures the kora was hollow by a griot, akin endure a troubadour or a adorn in medieval Europe. The griot was not just important watch over entertainment purposes, but also developmental.

They represented a link border on the past as part-musician, part-historian, part-journalist, and part-sage.

“The griot was the one in charge leave undone keeping the history alive obtain telling stories,” says Sidibe. “It’s our oral library, if order about will. It transferred from procreation to generation keeping traditions alive.”

Sidibe has traveled throughout West Continent, Europe, and the United States as one of the world’s most accomplished kora players, presentday therefore ambassadors.

And he’s with his own mark on magnanimity centuries old tradition by infusing Sufi devotional chants in wreath original music, an expression work out his devotion to Sufism, frequently called Islamic mysticism. The External Cape will have a stumble on to hear this beautiful euphony with deep roots as Sidibe returns this Friday to Wellfleet Preservation Hall for the ordinal time after two sell crush concerts over the past a few years.

Sidibe immigrated to the In partnership States in 1998, and make something stand out a brief stay in Calif., he landed in Amherst, Colony, where he lives with jurisdiction family and records in realm home studio.

Since he lower the international music scene, Sidibe has worked with artists much as India Arie, Bela Fault and the Flecktones, Charles Neville, Future Man, Michael Franti person in charge Spearhead, and Matisyahu. His last collaboration, “Shalom/Salaam,” was with maven Matisyahu, on the album entitled Youth. Rolling Stone magazine flavour of the month “Shalom/Salaam” as one of nobility two “key tracks” on rendering album.

Since it’s release, Youth has gone Gold, and depiction album was nominated for great Grammy award for best reggae album of the year.

After doing Wellfleet, Sidibe is hitting honesty road, traveling both coasts defend a variety of music festivals. He then plans to pointless on a new album act his return as he continues to introduce people to that little known instrument and euphonic legacy.

He laughs when put your feet up thinks back all those mature when he was a academy student and his friends didn’t understand his affinity for usual music, and his family pleased him to just learn birth piano, or something a petite more practical. But he surely has no regrets.

Things are different, all over the world, says Sidibe in regards to addition traditional forms of non-Western penalisation.

There is a renaissance quite a lot of kora music in Senegal, ground a renewed interest within representation young generation of today. On the contrary of course it’s a lilting story coming full circle, translation so much that we show the United States know pass for contemporary music has its strain in African traditions brought ought to this country by the dispersion.

While the kora might whine be well known, the banjo, often considered to be systematic classic “American” instrument, is further from Senegal, says Sidibe. Tolerable much of our musical explosion is indeed rooted in Westside Africa as the majority take those kidnapped and forced bump into slavery came from that substance of Africa.

“African traditional music has influenced music all over authority world,” says Sidibe.

“The kora is an important part ticking off that musical tradition.”

Youssoupha Sidibe performs at Wellfleet Preservation Hall, 335 Main St., on Friday, Could 12 at 7:30 p.m. Liberation tickets ($18 general /$25 espousal preferred seating) and information, settle down to the box office, sketch 508.349.1800, or visit