Probably one of the smallest countries in Africa both in size and population, The Gambia can boast of a rich and diverse music culture owing to a multi ethnic and cultural society... More…
JALI ALAGIE MBYE
Alagi Mbye (also spelled M'Bye) was probably born in Jan 1965, but you can never be sure. (He says his mother didn't have a calendar.) He comes from a griot (jali) family and his father, grandfather and uncles were well known praise singers, history reciters and kora players, many generations back. Alagi was sent to study kora with great Gambian masters at very early age, including the legendary Jali Nyama Suso.
In the late 1980s some Norwegian musicians came to Gambia and asked Jali Nyama which kora player he would recommend to come and play in Norway , and he named Alagi Mbye as one of the most talented young players. Alagi made his first of many trips to Scandinavia .
On his return, he started working as a kora teacher in The Eo'len Centre of West African Arts in The Gambia, which had many Scandinavian music students. (Unfortunately this centre is not active any more.)
At Eo'len, Alagi met many Scandinavian enthusiasts who invited him to return to Norway and Sweden , where he has performed once or twice a year since 1990. He played with Knut Reiersrud and was a guest on Reiersrud's CD's Tramp. In Sweden Mats Edén and Group were his first contacts and he played and performed concerts with the group in the early 90's. Swedish musician Ale Möller was fascinated by Algae's abilities and his 'toothless' in music and invited him to be a member of the Stockholm Folk Big Band project 1998-99. The Big Band was composed of 14 musicians representing 11 countries all over the world. Alagi was the only one not resident in Sweden .
Algae's greatest concern is the future of Gambian traditional music. Many places now have no griot heritage to care for the continuity of the tradition. The radio and TV don't expose the traditional music in Gambia , and the newspapers only report on pop, rap, reggae and hip hop stars.
1999-2000 he got the opportunity to make a solo album in Sweden , a recording of pure kora and songs in the tradition. Yiriba means The Big Tree, and symbolizes the roots, stem, branches and leaves of the West African griot heritage. All songs are in the Mandinka language.
His Swedish friends have helped him to realize his longtime dream of a music school for Gambian children, part of Algae's efforts to preserve the tradition of his homeland. Even non-griot children are welcomed to study there. Alagi is a member of the International Society of Music Education (ISME) and has taken part in their conferences in Pretoria and Amsterdam .
A BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF ALAGIE MBYE'S KORA INTSTRUMENT
Alagi Mbye's kora is built from a large calabash cut in half and covered with animal skin to make a resonator, and has a notched bridge like a lute or guitar. The sound of a kora resembles that of a harp, though when played in the traditional style, it bears a closer resemblance to flamenco guitar techniques. Alagi Mbye uses only the thumb and index finger of both hands to pluck the strings in polyrhythmic patterns (using the remaining fingers to hold the sticks either side of the strings and secure the instrument).Riffs ("Kumbeng") and improvised solo runs ("Biriminting") are played at the same time by skilled Mr. Mbye
Kora players have traditionally come from griot families (also from the Mandinka tribes) who are traditional historians, genealogists and storytellers who pass their skills on to their descendants. The instrument is played in Mali , Guinea , Senegal , and The Gambia. A traditional kora player such as Alagi Mbye is called a Jali, an honorific title that is highly respected, like a priest and Kings.
Traditional kora feature 21 strings, eleven played by the left hand and ten by the right. Modern kora made in the Gambia region sometimes feature additional bass strings. Strings were traditionally made from thin strips of hide, for example Goat/sheep or cow skin - now most strings are made from harp strings or nylon fishing line, sometimes plaited together to create thicker strings.
By moving leather tuning rings up and down the neck, a kora player can re-tune the instrument into one of four seven-note scales. These scales are close in tuning to western Major, Minor and Lydian modes, as well as to a blues scale.
