This concert will be the official launch concert for Musicport 2014, the annual world music festival that will takes place October 17th – 19th in 2014. Musicport has just won a national award for Best UK Indoor Festival from Fatea magazine.
Bassekou Kouyate is one the most innovative and exciting Malian musicians to have emerged in recent years. He appeared on line-ups with Africa Express and Afrocubism in 2011 and 2012, and has performed on stage with the likes of Paul McCartney, John Paul Jones, Damon Albarn and many more.
The Malian musician has established a new role for the ngoni, a distant ancestor of the banjo. By adding strings, developing new techniques of playing and defying tradition by plugging it in and experimenting with sound effects such as the wah-wah pedal, Bassekou has brought the instrument into the musical foreground where it is now a prominent feature of many Malian bands touring today.
Bassekou Kouyate’s discography includes Jama Ko, Segu Blue and I Speak Fula.
Support act Me & My Friends incorporates vintage Roots Reggae and Afrobeat, contemporary folk styles and even obscure Caribbean field recordings. The group is Yorkshire-based and formed by Scarborough musician James Grunwell.
“We couldn’t have dreamt of a better act to launch our 2014 Festival program than Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba. I saw them 3 years ago in York and was totally blown away by the power of the music and the charm of their performance & to have Me & My Friends doing the support is just the icing on the cake,” says Musicport organizer Jim McLaughlin. “We hope people will turn out for what will be one of the best things we’ve managed to get to Whitby in the 14 years we have been putting on events in the town and will help get our 2014 (award-winning) festival off to the best possible start.”
Tickets £16 (£14 concessions). Tel: 01947 603475 to book tickets.
Author: World Music Central News Room
World music news from the editors at World Music Central
