A rare picture of Alhaji Bai Konte performing at the 1973 Newport Jazz Festival (Central Park, New York City).

Sound Bytes:
The Mandinka Kora

Here are two examples of what the kora sounds like as played by Alhaji Bai Konte

• "Alla L'aa ke" [400K Mp3 ]
• Traditional tuning pattern [300k Mp3 ] Typically played to check the kora's tuning at the start of a song.

These Sound Bytes are from the Bai Konte compact disk: "Kora Melodies from the Republic of the Gambia,
West Africa
 
Sound Bytes courtesy & copyright © Rounder Records
 
Photograph of Bai Konte courtesy & copyright ©
Marc Pevar, all rights reserved.