I love my Kora!!!
The Kora comes from West Africa and belongs to the Mande' people whos empire spread accross what is now Mali, Senegal, The Gambia and Guinea. My Kora came from the Gambia, as does Jali Seikou Susso who has taught me how to play and helped me to understand its cultural background. If I wasn't so skint and busy all the time I'd go for more lessons with Seikou in Leeds, playing kora is my favourite thing, especially during the summer.
I'm living in Brumingham at the moment in a small 2 bedroom flat where I'm training an army of multicoloured ninjas to take over the world! The red ninjas will be my finest, since they don't camoflage with anything, next will be the blues and yellows, who can hide in the sky, sea or in custard factories when they are out matched.
I'm mainly playing with a few bands at the moment, they are,
The Destroyers:
15 piece band of eclectic, raucous eastern gypsy crazyness set for great success so check out the myspace and website www.thedestroyers.co.uk
Se' Tin Saba:
Trio of Oud/Guitar. Kora/Guitar, and Tabla/percussion playing traditional and original multicultural music. We have played some prestigous venues including WOMAD 2006, I've heared lots of nice things about that performance meeting people after gigs throughout the year who were there! This band may also form a new group incorporating talented Sitarist and Darabuka/riq players, which could lead to some all round fantastic music.
Steve Yimga's Crossroad Collision:
Cameroonian Djembe player with DoubleBass, Drum kit, sax, poet and myself (kora/guitar) funky, super rhthmical, danceable tunes.
Kate Doubleday:
Local singer songwriter with Doublebass/hammer dulcimer, cajon/percussion guitar/kora and two harmonious backing singers. Check the myspace and website katedoubleday.com Eagerly awaiting completion of new CD (kate gives us freedom to play the things we most enjoy).
Abi Budgen:
Much respected fingerstyly guitarist & songwriter getting back into roots country blues with great results after a good forage through round about everything else. Abi's trying to be true to the tradition without putting it in a glass box with a do not tuch sign, I hope to play some positive role in the forthcoming recordings as this music seems underated or overlooked in modern british culture and what I've heard so far is as atmospheric and touching as some of the greats, also I'm learning how different blues fingerpicking is from other guitar methods.
Steve Brown
Talented and eclectic songwriter and leader of birmingham samba band Samba Centrale, steve recently recorded his first proper EP 'Temporary Entertainer' at magic gardern studios. It must be good having recordings of your music that does the initial ideas justice!
Kumbengo
A muchly underpushed band I assembled for the BBC TALENT competition Afican Connections. We won the competition along with 3 other acts and co-wrote and recorded a brilliant summery song with Senegalese star CHEIKH LO. Since then we have worked on some new material and had a handful of gigs but this band of super positive kora-led music seems to be forgotten due to the mountain of other music going on. I rest my hopes in the summer holidays, till then listen here!!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/newtalent/music/showcase_african.shtml
I don't really have many finished recordings of music that I'm happy with so I'll keep changing whats up, posting bits and bobs i think.
Band Biology: 50% water, 2% booze etc.. , 7% cheese, 3% tea, 5% bread/pasta/rice, 3% ice cream, 2% chocolate, 69% love.
Total: 141% Music-Chien
