Clychau Dibon (Mwldan, 2013)
Welsh harp master Catrin Finch and kora virtuoso Seckou Keita got together to celebrate the beauty of their musical instruments which are somewhat related. The West African kora is often described as a harp so you can see as the meeting of the harps. There are no additional instruments so you can really enjoy the mesmerizing interplay between the two instruments.
Catrin Finch contributes the classical and Welsh tradition to the mix. Seckou Keita provides the ancient Manding tradition. Clychau Dibon contains several traditional pieces rearranged by the duo and producer John Hollis. The rest of the material are original pieces by Seckou Keita.
Catrin Finch is a celebrated musician in the world of classical music and much-admired as one of the world’s best harpists. A nominee for a Classical Brit Award, she has played with orchestras throughout the globe (including the Royal Philharmonic, the New York Philharmonic and the Boston Pops).
Seckou Keita has performed a solo artist, a bandleader and a collaborator with world music projects Baka Beyond and the Jalikunda Project. He’s a master of both the kora and a wide range of West Africa drums and percussion instruments. He set up the first kora course at London’s School of Oriental and African Studies and his teaching skills are highly respected.
‘Clychau’ is the Welsh word for ‘Bells’, and refers to the heavenly peels that feature on the album. The Dibon is a member of the hornbill family that lives in the Northern tributaries of the River Niger in Guinea and the Sahel region of Sub-Saharan Africa. A romantic bird, the Dibon pairs for life, but males and females spend the night sleeping in separate trees; early in the morning call to each other, the male using the lower notes and the female higher ones. So fascinating and unique are the calls of the Dibon, that they have worked their ways into the rhythms of many of the local traditional hunting and farming songs, giving rise to the Mandinka rhythm ‘Dibon’, and the name for the second bass string of the left hand side of the kora.
Clychau Dibon comes packaged in a beautiful hardcover book format with photos and extensive liner notes in English and Welsh. It is an extraordinary collaboration that highlights the beauty of the European and West African harps.
Buy Clychau Dibon
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
