Bassekou Kouyaté & Ngoni Ba in concert

27 February 2020

Cinema and theater

Bologna

lead ngoni Bassekou Kouyaté lead vocal Amy Sacko ngoni bass Mamadou Kouyaté different percussions yabara, tama (talking drum) Mahamadou Tounkara calebasse, hi-hat, cymbals Moctar Kouyaté ngoni medium Abou Sissoko Bassekou Kouyaté is a master of the ngoni, a tiny west African four-string lute, that traditionally was used to accompany the stories of griots (bards). Kouyaté is also a star – an icon of the world music, winner of the BBC Music Award- his latest tour with his band Ngoni Ba was a major hit. He was born in a small village along the banks of the Niger and has been playing as a musician since the eighties. Throughout the years he’s played with some of the greatest artists in different genres. He accompanied Mali-superstar Ali Farka Touré on his last tour in 2005 (the same year Kouyaté founded Ngoni Ba). But he also shared stages with the likes of Damon Albarn (Blur), John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin), Bono, and Sir Paul McCartney. The group’s newest album, “Miri”, that is also the title of this concert, is an ode to love, family, and friendship. The instrumental titular song flows like a river: rhythmic, calm, but also thrusting and unrelenting. No wonder it represents Kouyaté returning to his native village and sitting by the Niger, away from the city’s hustle and bustle.