Jali Bakary Konteh is a kora player and singer from Brikama, Gambia. He comes from a griot family, which includes some of the world’s most renowned kora musicians. His father is Dembo Konteh, who has toured the world with his kora, and his Grandfather is Alhaji Bai Konteh, the first griot to popularize kora music in America with his album “Kora Melodies from the Gambia,” on Rounder records.
Jali Bakary has not only inherited the talents of his bloodline, but has also incorporated his own style and twist into the music, as the tracks here will show. He has played with many of the Gambia’s finest talent, including Pa Boba and Sanku Jobarteh, as well as with his father on National televesion numerous times. Konteh Kunda is his first full length album, entirely recorded at the Konteh Kunda music school in Brikama.
53 years ago today… Ghana’s a youngster! So what better way to celebrate than with youngster music… forget 1970s analog studios for a minute, and sink into the sounds of hiplife, essentially Ghana’s national pop music these days… there’s something about that fruity loops aesthetic that just gets to us, super simple, melodic, bouncy… try it!
Akwaaba’s been mostly focusing on the Atlantic coast of Africa, but thankfully, we’ve finally connected with East African artists, in the form of this very interesting trio hailing from Nairobi, Kenya.
Traditionalists beware: Just A Band is pop music. Not Afropop, straight up pop. Pop as in music that you, your cousin and your mom might all enjoy. Music that your grandfather won’t ask to turn down immediately, as he may already be shakin’ his legs.
The references to Kenya’s musical heritage are not absent however, just subtle. Although the band mentions Stevie Wonder or Michael Jackson as tttwo major influences, some of the softer tracks on their album “82″ evoke polyphonic, spiritual chants. Call it what you want: Just A Band’s recipe is potent, and we intend to spread the potency worldwide. Stay tuned, their album drops February 23! In the meantime, check out Just A Band’s Facebook page, and download this free mp3 of the song Ha-He:
We’re excited to introduce a fantastic new artist to the Akwaaba roster: Gambian kora player Jali Bakary Konteh. We were introcuded to Jali through Steve Pile, a Northern California resident who spent time in the Gambia, first to learn how to play the kora, which is how he met his teacher, Jali. Steve came back to the Gambia last summer to record Jali’s album, which we are very proud to introduce. Stay put for videos and teasers, until the album drops in iTunes on March 9!
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