Meet Jali Bakary Konteh

Ahead of his performance on 21 November, griot and kora player Jali Bakary Konteh told us about his musical beginnings, the role of the griot and what a kora sounds like.

What are your links with Cambridge? Have you played here before?

The first time I visited Cambridge was to perform at the Cambridge Folk Festival this summer. I hope you were there!

What are your first musical memories?

Hearing my Grandad (Alhaji Bai Konte) and Dad (Dembo Konte) playing kora under our mango tree on our family compound in Brikama.

Can you describe the kora, what it looks and sounds like?

The kora is a stringed instrument with 21 strings with a calabash (pumpkin) covered in cow skin, wooden neck and bridge and 21 strings made from fishing line. It sound similar to a harp.

When did you first start to see the kora as something that could fuse with other styles of music?

It has always been part of our culture to fuse our music with many different musicians and instruments who travel through our region.

What is the role of the griot in traditional West African cultures?

The role of a griot is to sing about life and history we unite communities and pass on information about events like births and marriages. We are also the peacekeepers how help people to find solutions to conflicts. It is said that when a griot dies it’s like a library burning down in Western Culture.

What are the themes of the praise songs we’ll hear on 21 November?

Generally we sing to praise people in the community who do good things and remind us of people of historically who were important to the community.

Do you have any message for the audience about what to expect from your concert?

They will hear traditional kora music from The Gambia, as it has sounded for millennia.

What do you enjoy doing outside of performing and composing/arranging music?

I love watching football and my favourite team is Real Madrid. I also enjoy training and keeping fit