Sean Gaskell will
give a performance and educational demonstration on the kora, an ancient
21-stringed harp from West Africa. He will feature traditional songs that are
the heart and soul of the kora’s musical repertoire in addition to some of his
own personal compositions. The performance will take place at 2:00 pm at the
Jones Library in Amherst on Saturday, April 7, 2018.
Sean Gaskell features traditional songs on the 21 stringed West
African Kora. The Kora is native to the Mande peoples who live within the
countries of Gambia, Senegal, Mali, Guinea, and Guinea Bissau. The music is
traditionally played by oral and musical historians known as Griots (Gree-ohs).
The Kora is a melodic and seemingly peaceful instrument, which is somewhat
contrary to its musical repertoire. Many songs tell ancient stories of war and
hardship, while others praise people of high political status and those who
helped expand the Mande Empire. While the Kora is only 300 years old, some
commonly played songs can be traced back 800 years to the Mande empires’
founding. Gaskell has studied extensively under the instruction of Malamini
Jobarteh and Moriba Kuyateh of Brikama, The Gambia, and Kane Mathis of Brooklyn,
NY. Gaskell has been featured at numerous festivals in the US, Gambia, and
Senegal.
Free and open to the public. For more information about this
event, please contact Janet Ryan at 413/259-3223. For more information about
the presenter, please visit http://www.seangaskell.com or
view video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxkfcUeToiI.
