Kora Music From The Gambia

Recorded in Accra, Ghana, in 1976, Kora Music from the Gambia is a collection of songs performed on the Kora, a 21-string bridge harp used by the Mandinka people of northwestern Africa. Foday Musa Suso is a member of the hereditary Jali social class, and, as ethnomusicologist Roderic Knight explains, that means he is both a historian and a musician: For example, praises and genealogy were incorporated into songs, and oral history was told to the accompaniment of instrument music. Suso's selections on this album range from traditional stories from the Mali Empire (Tira Makan) to a contemporary song from the Gambia that refers to the 1960s moon landing missions (Apollo). Liner notes include a detailed description and history of kora music in the Gambia and track notes.