Sounds of West Africa: The Kora & the Xylophone

[uncredited artist] - Sounds of West Africa: The Kora & the Xylophone

The Lobi-Dagarti Xylophone (or balophon) of Northern Ghana and the Kora harp-lute of Gambia produce some of the most striking instrumental music to be found anywhere in Africa. The culture of the Lobi and Dagarti people has resisted erosion from Islamic and European contacts and their music remains relatively pure even today. The kora, on the other hand, developed in the Savannah belt, an area profoundly influenced by Islam and North Africa. While retaining its essential sub-Saharan rhythmic character, the kora reflects North African culture in its tonality, timbre and harmonies.
The kora has 21 strings that can be tuned to absolute pitch in at least three distinct tonal modes. The following is one common tuning arrangement. In ascending order the strings are tuned: F, C, D, E, B flat, D, F, A, C, E, (left hand) and F, A, C, E, G, B flat, D, F, G, A, (right hand). (Francis Bebey, African Music, A People's Art, Lawrence Hill and Co.)
The kora is played by the Griots (praise singers and chroniclers) of Gambia, Senegal, Mali and Guinea Bissau. It is taught by father to son so that over the generations a whole lineage of kora players take shape. When a young boy begins to play he must learn countless epic tales, myths, histories of tribes and royal lineages so that soon he emerges as the oral historian par excellence of his people. The first kora player is said to have appeared in the royal court of Kelefa Senneh of Guinea Bissau and formerly all Griots were attached to royal families. But in modern times, with the disintegration of the traditional states, kora players are more or less "at large" and every kora player must have in his repertoire songs recounting the ancestral histories of any number of wealthy potential patrons.
When a Griot spots a "Great Man" in the street or the market he will shout his name and immediately launch into an epic musical account of the glories of the man's lineage. A crowd is sure to gather and the man, the obvious focus of all the commotion, feels constrained to be as generous as possible to the musician so that he will continue to sing his praise as opposed to his defmation. The Griot still depends entirely on patrons for his livelihood. Even today, to turn a Griot away from one's door empty-handed constitutes a major social disgrace.

The Lobi-Dagarti Xylophone

In both Lobi and Dagarti, the xylophone is central in all life events from weddings, funerals, work and recreational situations to cult events. The Lobi-Dagarti xylophone is a 14-key instrument of a type that is widely distributed throughout West Africa as well as in parts of Central and Eastern Africa (e.g. Zaire, Uganda, Tanzania and Mozambique). It is constructed so that the wooden keys, mounted on a wooden frame, vibrate over graduated gourd resonators. The gourds have small holes covered with a thin paper (made from spider webbing and glue) which vibrates when the keys are struck producing a continuous nasal buzzing sound. Although indigenous musicians are less concerned with absolute pitch than with relative tonal relationships, the xylophones generally conform to the following pentatonic arrangement:
It should be noted that while the Lobi and Dagarti use the same xylophone, they constitute distinct ethnic groups with mutually incomprehensible languages and different musical styles. (Richard Hill) 

Tracklisting:

1. Bin kpe {4:41}

2. Kyipellu festival song {2:31}

3. Chedo {5:12}

4. Nyam born ti waa na {2:24}

5. High Life {2:32}

6. Jimbasin {5:36}

7. Tuntumggben {2:47}

8. Domme wa la sofgu {1:57}

9. Tu tu le tu {2:00}

10. Nabaya (My Beads) {2:55}

11. Ansu "Machhine" Menneh {1:44}

12. Ga da yina-funeral music {2:19}

13. Le ben doma {3:15}

14. Musa Koli {2:20}

15. Laminba {2:48}

16. Dembo {2:41}

(1)