Master kora player Yacouba Sissoko will perform a program of varied musical genres based on traditional songs of West Africa at the Parrish Art Museum on Friday, April 14, at 6 PM.
Sissoko has devoted his career to expanding the awareness of West African history and culture, with performances on the kora that move deftly from one musical genre to another, transforming traditional songs into modern messages of peace and harmony. Sissoko’s appearance at the Parrish, with percussionist Moussa Diabate, is co-presented with Hamptons Jazz Fest, performances produced by The Jam Session, Inc that bring world-class musicians in the fields of jazz, Latin, and World music the East End of Long Island.
Uniquely West African, the kora is a 21-stringed harp-like instrument constructed from a hide-covered calabash gourd resonator and a long hardwood neck — one of the most popular and easily recognized instruments from the region. Throughout West African history, the kora was played as a solo instrument by djelys, or storytellers. Sissoko comes from a family line of Malian musicians dating back centuries. He began his kora studies at the age of 9 with his grandfather and was touring internationally by age 15.
Sissoko’s flexible virtuosity has made him a favorite collaborator with renowned musicians including Harry Belafonte, Paul Simon, Leroy Jenkins, and Leni Stern. Based in New York City since 1998, he expanded his repertoire to include jazz, pop, R&B, and classical genres, and regularly performs at music festivals across North America including the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in Washington DC, the Playboy Jazz Festival in Los Angeles, the New York Family Arts Festival, the Grant Park Music Festival in Millennium Park, Chicago, the Portland Jazz Festival, the Detroit Jazz Festival, and the Monterey Jazz Festival.
Moussa Diabate has a successful international career in a variety of performing arts as a dancer, choreographer, drummer and balafon player. He has toured Europe, Africa, Asia, and the U.S., and has worked on Broadway productions (“The Tempest,” “Bring in Da Noise, Bring in Da Funk”), and at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, and Yale Repertory Theater.
Advance ticket purchase with pre-event registration is recommended. Tickets are $15 for Museum Members, $20 for adults (nonmembers), $10 for students. Visit parrishart.org.