Bassekou Kouyate and his Great Ngoni Musical Instrument
Great inspiration continuously flows from the continent of Africa in the form of music, textiles, and spirited food. It is all joyful, mortal, positive, and filled with so much hope. Bassekou Kouyate's music embodies this spirit of joy and hope. His music is a testament to the power of music to uplift and inspire, to bring people together in a shared sense of optimism and positivity.
The Ngoni is a spike lute, an ancestor of the first banjo. It shares its taut-skin drum, enabling percussive attacks to charge the Sub-Pop music genre with impressive sound sequence imprints! Bassekou's father, though also a talented Ngoni player, never allowed himself to be recorded, yet was a confident example for his son. After Bassekou's father died, He moved to Segu and accompanied singer Nainy Diabate and griot harpist Toumani Diabate.
At a 1985 concert, Bassekou stood up and commanded the center stage with his first remarkable solo performance for a large public audience. This also symbolized his intentions for the versatile Ngoni instrument, growing a new generation of appreciators. With his graceful up-and-down strokes combined with eloquent sliding and blending notes, one groundbreaking project after another would follow, introducing fresh new influences to numerous types of blues and jazz music.
