Ballaké Sissoko Archive
Concert Review—Ballaké Sissoko and Vincent Ségal, Kora/Cello
It was a rich musical synergy this week at the Old Church—the concert blending the sounds of the distinctive Kora harp, with antiquity roots in Africa, with more contemporary guitar and cello, with definite jazz lilt. Two ensembles presented that evening—the Portland Kora Project trio, followed by the duo of Ballaké Sissoko and Vincent Ségal. The kora harp is an instrument worth taking note of, especially as it shone in the hands of this evening’s performers, with some two dozen strings reaching down from its neck and across the bridge of its resonating gourd. The opening set by the Portland Kora Project gave a glimpse into the sound spectrum of the kora — without the visual cues, the first impression is that of classical (western) harp, with a range of timbres from the bright high notes to the deep bass strings. With two kora from which to chose, Will Dudley brought the instruments to life with a mix of scale passages (pentatonic, for the first pieces) along with rhythmic ostinato patterns, from which he was able to deftly pull out floating melodies. This was in pleasant counter point to the guitar work of Ben Finley—the two of them had playful exchanges of […]