the zoo stage at womadelaide is not the place where the big acts appear
but over the years there have been some very memorable performances
a couple of years a fine band from west african guinea called ba cissoko were the stars
turned in a set in a mid afternoon of youth infused kora music of the highest order
i still recall watching their set thinking they are destined for fame and fortune
such was the successful integration of traditional kora with contemporary intent
then last year mamadou diabate just nailed it with a beautiful solo set
helped along in a few numbers by cousin and living legend toumani diabate
definitely a highlight performance at womadelaide of that and any other year
so it seemed like a continuation when kora player seckou keita was listed for the same stage
he is front and centre of the seckou keita quintet - the skq part of the band name
this is a very interesting looking lineup as they take to the stage
stage right is a chap on double bass looking like a serious classical musician
stage left is violin player with the looks of someone from a baltic group
at the back a percussionist dressed in traditional african garb
a female vocalist with a wild blonde hairstyle against her dark skin
the man himself casually dressed in typical western gear (i.e. jeans)
not that dress has anything to do with anything but in this case all contrasting
and bringing to mind a great symbol of everything womad stands for
a great combination of styles, races, genders, etc and sometimes as here on the same stage
someone in the program had suggested seckou keita is the jimi hendrix of the kora
maybe a drawcard or not but there's a big crowd in attendance this afternoon
i personally love the sound of the kora - a beautiful chiming harp like sound
unmistakably african and thanks to toumani diabate now very well known
works a treat in solo mode and can hold it's own in front of a large band
in this case there's a clear tendency towards a jazz/classical sound
the organic feel of the double bass nicely complementing the kora
even more so when the violin sound is brought into the mix as well
it's hard to pin the sound though as it sounds unlike anything heard before
the vocalist providing a lovely distraction with a strong african voice
mr percussionist a bit lost out the back but covering lots of bases
so when they get cranked up its a very convincing and seriously good sound
a lot of almost nervous looking glances on stage as they work at it
indicating to me some complexity in the structures of the tunes
this is not any kind of improvisation - each piece thoroughly rehearsed
seckou keita doing a fine job playing/dancing with his kora
throwing the head back i think at the joy of the sound
looking very happy with his quintet on this day
not sure about the hendrix comparison
he's out there somewhere on his own
another successful zoo stage kora gig
