Kadialy Kouyaté – Aado – Senegalese Kora (Naxos World/ARC Music, 2021)
Senegalese kora maestro, composer and educator Kadialy Kouyaté has released Aado, an album of solo kora pieces. The melodic songs showcase Kadialy Kouyaté ‘s dazzling virtuosity, storytelling through instrumentals and an exquisite style.
In Senegal, ‘aado’ means ‘moral customs and values’. Aado reflects various aspects of Mandinka culture. ‘Daña’ talks about the good qualities of a person; ‘Kontondiro’ and ‘Nganiyo’ symbolize respect and consideration for those around you. Buña is a song about hospitality and generosity.
Aado also includes a traditional love song called ‘Diyanamo’; ‘Thiosane’ is about shared tradition; ‘Sora’ celebrates griot culture and specifically the highly regarded Cissokho family. The album concludes with a traditional song about a famed 13th century warrior named Fakoli.
Kadialy Kouyaté was born in southern Senegal and grew up immersed in griot culture. He quickly became known as an acclaimed musician, singer and songwriter. Following griot tradition, Kadialy set on a path to pass the kora and storytelling on to new generations. He started teaching the kora at Dakar University and at the West African Research Centre in Senegal. He continued this impassioned educational work when he moved to London, teaching at SOAS University of London, where he still tutors today.
Since his arrival to the UK, he has participated in the London musical scene, collaborating with Mumford & Sons and Baaba Maal, world fusion group Rafiki Jazz, Brazilian percussionist Adriano Adewale and Venezuelan harpist Leonard Jacome.
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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.