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Seckou Keita Quintet
The Silimbo Passage
(World ArtVentures)
Douglas Heselgrave's #12 album for 2008
First Appeared in The Music Box, September 2008, Volume 15, #9
Written by Douglas Heselgrave
Sun September 28, 2008, 06:30 AM CDT
The kora is so versatile that it easily can be adapted to suit any type of
music. After all, depending on how it is approached, its sound can resemble an
orchestral harp as much as a delta blues guitar. During the last 20 years, many
African musicians have charmed Western audiences with their virtuosity on the
instrument. Resembling a lute or guitar, the kora has 21 strings — eleven of
which are played with the left hand, while the remaining ten are plucked with
the right hand. This dual-picking style allows musicians to play both rhythmic
accompaniments and melodic solos simultaneously. While listening to a master
perform on a kora, it is almost impossible to believe that one person could
create such complex and uplifting polyrhythms. Mali’s Toumani Diabate is,
perhaps, the instrument’s most famous living proponent, and his recordings —
both as a solo artist and as a member of fusion groups such as Songhai — have
unlocked many exciting venues for the kora’s ethereal seduction.
Seckou Keita is a Senegal-born kora player, who currently resides in England.
The Silimbo Passage is the second album that he has made with his self-named
quintet, and it certainly is a rather graceful and lyrical collection of music.
Throughout the endeavor, Keita approaches the kora in a manner that is quite
different from Issa Bagayogo, whose excellent new outing
Mali Koura uncovers the relationship between traditional West African rhythms and modern
electronica. In comparison, Keita’s compositions on The Silimbo Passage are
strictly old-school. Collaborating with musicians from all over the globe, he
explores the usage of the kora in both jazz and classical formats, and not
surprisingly, the results are absolutely lovely.
Each of the 10 compositions on The Silimbo Passage may have been based
upon Senegalese compositional forms, but even a perfunctory stroll through the
album is sufficient for revealing its textural diversity. The most dominant
factor is the presence of a violin, which is played by Samy Bishai. His clear
and precise notes weave in and out of Keita’s cascading string patterns to
create a soundscape that incorporates and echoes everything from the harvest
songs of the Nile River Valley to Stephane Grappelli’s Café de Paris orchestra. The arrangements and interplay between Bishai and Keita
reach such dazzling heights on Kano Foru, for example, that it’s hard to
believe that the results were born from the work of only one violinist and one
kora player.
Grounded by Davide Mantovani’s superb stand-up bass parts and Surahata
Susso’s percussion accompaniments, all of the material on The Silimbo Passage
is of equal caliber. Several of the songs also feature Binta Susso, Keita’s
sister, and her vocals are deep and soulful. In fact, her singing effectively
knits the ensemble together, proving that it is possible to create music that
fuses together an array of musical cultures without sacrificing either quality
or authenticity.
Lately, it seems as if there is an endless stream of African albums hitting
store shelves each week. Without a doubt, The Silimbo Passage is one of the
better acoustic-based endeavors. It should delight fans of both the kora and
European jazz. 
Of Further Interest...
Vieux Farka Toure - Vieux Farka Toure / self-titled
Various Artists - In the Name of Love: Africa Celebrates U2
Various Artists - Putumayo Kids Presents: African Dreamland
The Silimbo Passage is available from Amazon.
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Ratings
1 Star: Pitiful
2 Stars: Listenable
3 Stars: Respectable
4 Stars: Excellent
5 Stars: Can't Live Without It!!
Copyright © 2008 The Music Box
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