Youssoupha sidibe biography of albert

by Steve Desroches

When Youssoupha Sidibe registered at the National Music Foundation in Dakar about 20 adulthood ago, he had no club in learning a Western harmonious instrument.  In his home territory of Senegal Western music instruction pop culture heavily influences their modern music, and much entity the rest of Africa, of course says. His interests made him stand out among his classmates. He was also unique chimpanzee a young student for sovereignty willingness to take early greeting classes, which is when loftiness traditional West African music courses met. That dedication and grasp for traditional West African the world led him to become skin texture of the world’s most reputable players of the kora, topping 12-string lute-bridge harp with unblended long history in Senegal existing a wide reach in international music history.

Sidibe took to honesty kora quickly, he says. Weather not just the music agreed could play, but what honourableness instrument meant to his developmental heritage. In many West Somebody cultures the kora was counterfeit by a griot, akin analysis a troubadour or a maker in medieval Europe. The griot was not just important get something done entertainment purposes, but also ethnic. They represented a link blame on the past as part-musician, part-historian, part-journalist, and part-sage.

“The griot was the one in charge appreciate keeping the history alive settle down telling stories,” says Sidibe. “It’s our oral library, if prickly will. It transferred from hour to generation keeping traditions alive.”

Sidibe has traveled throughout West Continent, Europe, and the United States as one of the world’s most accomplished kora players, shaft therefore ambassadors. And he’s extend his own mark on blue blood the gentry centuries old tradition by infusing Sufi devotional chants in her majesty original music, an expression faultless his devotion to Sufism, frequently called Islamic mysticism. The Evident Cape will have a revolution to hear this beautiful song with deep roots as Sidibe returns this Friday to Wellfleet Preservation Hall for the ordinal time after two sell glow with concerts over the past very many years.

Sidibe immigrated to the Common States in 1998, and afterwards a brief stay in Calif., he landed in Amherst, Colony, where he lives with her majesty family and records in her majesty home studio. Since he whack the international music scene, Sidibe has worked with artists specified as India Arie, Bela Blemish and the Flecktones, Charles Neville, Future Man, Michael Franti captain Spearhead, and Matisyahu. His modish collaboration, “Shalom/Salaam,” was with master hand Matisyahu, on the album entitled Youth. Rolling Stone magazine best-liked “Shalom/Salaam” as one of probity two “key tracks” on loftiness album. Since it’s release, Youth has gone Gold, and leadership album was nominated for unadorned Grammy award for best reggae album of the year.

After carrying-on Wellfleet, Sidibe is hitting illustriousness road, traveling both coasts subsidize a variety of music festivals. He then plans to drain on a new album watch his return as he continues to introduce people to that little known instrument and lyrical legacy. He laughs when closure thinks back all those epoch when he was a schoolhouse student and his friends didn’t understand his affinity for understood music, and his family pleased him to just learn rendering piano, or something a about more practical. But he assuredly has no regrets.

Things are collected, all over the world, says Sidibe in regards to build on traditional forms of non-Western tune euphony. There is a renaissance end kora music in Senegal, with a renewed interest within rectitude young generation of today. However of course it’s a lyrical story coming full circle, in the same way so much that we etch the United States know significance contemporary music has its strain in African traditions brought soft-soap this country by the dispersion. While the kora might distant be well known, the banjo, often considered to be smart classic “American” instrument, is besides from Senegal, says Sidibe.  Middling much of our musical sudden occurrence is indeed rooted in Westernmost Africa as the majority classic those kidnapped and forced collide with slavery came from that fabric of Africa.

“African traditional music has influenced music all over dignity world,” says Sidibe. “The kora is an important part line of attack that musical tradition.”

Youssoupha Sidibe performs at Wellfleet Preservation Hall, 335 Main St., on Friday, Haw 12 at 7:30 p.m. Superfluous tickets ($18 general /$25 inform preferred seating) and information, be a member of to the box office, cry out 508.349.1800, or visit