October 25, 2021

EP64 - Seckou Keita - Musician - Kora Master - Griot - Pioneer - ”A melody strong, an angel‘s voice and I find myself in awe of its truth...”

26 minutes

My guest in this episode is the world-class musician, griot (praise singer), composer, djembe master, virtuoso and pioneer - Seckou Keita - he's a rarity, seated in tradition whilst constantly pushing the boundaries of his art.

A true master of the kora - a 22 stringed West African harp - Seckou, from Southern Senegal, was a childhood prodigy, born of a line of griots and kings.

Seckou has graced the international stage since 1996, earning worldwide acclaim for his kora playing and appearing with a host of fellow artists including Paul Weller, Salif Keita, Damon Alban, Youssou N’Dour, Miriam Makeba and Neil Finn.

It was whilst performing as part of the Africa Express Presents The Orchestra of Syrian Musicians in 2016, that he met Paul for the first time - playing a sensational version of Wild Wood as part of the concerts.

In 2019, he won 'Musician of the Year' at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards - whilst also picking up the award for 'Best Duo/Band' with Catrin Finch.

November 2020 saw the release of the On Sunset Remixes EP - with Seckou's beautiful remix of Rockets featuring as one of the 5 tracks.

Seckou Keita has arguably become the most influential and inspiring Kora player of his generation, an exceptional and charismatic musician - find out more about his amazing music & collaborations at seckoukeita.com

LINKS

Seckou Keita with Paul Weller on Wild Wood - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bb9VKNe7o_U&ab_channel=AfricaExpress

Seckou Keita / Paul Weller - Rockets Remix - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-yS41iAH2xg&ab_channel=paulwellertv

Find out more about Catrin Finch & Seckou Keita here and dive in to his new album Suba recorded during lockdown with Omar Sosa, one of Cuba's most prolific jazz pianists and the astounding percussionist Gustavo Ovalles.

You can also see Africa in the Lounge featuring Seckou Keita here

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