Isle of Wight What's On Guide: 2024 Events OnTheWight

Seckou Keita

Wednesday 8 7.30pmJuly
2015

Music

This event has now finished

Seckou Keita

Source http://harponwight.com/events-programme/

Part of Harp on Wight July 2015

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Thursday October 8th, Seckou Keita, supported by Gwyneth Glyn, Ryde Methodist Church, Garfield Road, Ryde 7:30pm.

Tickets £12. £6 children under 16

To book please telephone 01983 730 930 or book online at http://www.wegottickets.com

SECKOU KEITA is a member of the royal Keita dynasty from Mali, but he was born in Casamance, a southern province of Senegal in 1977.

His lofty birth may have prevented him from becoming a jail or griot ( a traditional West African praise singer) were it not for the fact that he was raised by his mother’s family, the Cissokho’s, who were renowned griots from Senegal.

Seckou learned the kora in the bosom of his family, but he also developed a remarkable flair for drumming and percussion early in life. He started to perform at the age of seven, and by twelve he had his own band.

In 1996 Seckou moved to Scandinavia, playing at festivals with musicians from all over the world. In 1998 he moved to the UK and became a member of the Bath-based global fusion band Baka Beyond.

Seckou released his debut album Baiyo – which means orphan -in 2000.

Seckou’s music is seated in tradition while constantly pushing the boundaries of his art.

His previous two albums Miro and The Slimbo Passage reached no 1 in the European world music charts, whilst Clychau Dibon, the fruit of his collaboration with Welsh harpist Catrin Finch won fRoots magazine’s Critics Poll Album of the Year 2013, Songlines magazine’s Best Cultural Collaboration 2014, and two BBC Radio 2 Folk Award nominations for Best Duo and Best Traditional Track as well as a clutch of five star press reviews.

Seckou’s new album 22 Strings was released in May 2015. Most kora’s have 21 strings, but the reason for the title of the album is that in Guinea-Bissau and Seckou’s native Casamance , they still favour instruments with a special extra string that gives the instrument an advantage in terms of tonal reach and groove.

We very much look forward to hearing the music.