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Kora Music In The Land Of The Stainless Steel Worm

Tue, 02/22/2005 - 03:59 — deadprogrammer

Jaili Kandjia Cissoko, African Criot (Bard), Kora Player, Soloist Composer in NYC Subway's Times Square station.

This is an illustration to my earlier article about Cora music. As Mr. Cissoko unfortunately doen'st have any cds of his own, your best bet of experiencing Cora music is either to seek him out in the subway or listening to one of these cds:

Djelika is my favorite, I absolutely love the title song that is based on the melody from The Good, The Bad and the Ugly.

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Comments

Mon, 10/17/2005 - 01:43 — carol (not verified)

I've been looking for a guy who plays the kora and sings in the subway. I used to see him at the Union Square station from time to time, but I haven't seen him in a couple of years. The kora music is beautiful, but what moved me even more was his voice. It's really affecting. I got a CD by Tata Dindin which is really quite close to the sounds coming out of this guy -- really just extraordinary.

The man I remember seeing didn't wear glasses and usually or always wore traditional African dress -- usually all white, I think. Does this sound like Mr. Cissoko? And if so, have you seen him around lately?

Thanks.


Mon, 10/24/2005 - 02:59 — deadprogrammer

Hmm, I am not sure. The last time I've seen him, which was a couple of months ago, he was dressed in normal street clothes. There could be a second Kora player in the subway, why not.


Wed, 03/15/2006 - 21:52 — Lisa (not verified)

The subway performer you refer to - Jaili Kandjia Cissoko - will be playing on Saturday, March 25 at the Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning (JCAL) in Queens. The center is featuring Cissoko and many other underground subway artists in its Metro's Best concert series.
Cissoko is a Griot and master historian who was taught by his father to play the Mandinka Kora instrument and share traditional stories as in the culture of African Griots. He reinterprets traditional songs uing the spellbinding sounds of the Kora. JCAL is located at 161-04 Jamaica Avenue, and tickets are only $5. For more information, you can visit their website at www.jcal.org.


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