Fasiya cover

Fasiya

Released

Sona Jobarteh comes from a long line of Mande griots, but, in a big break with tradition, she is the first female kora virtuoso.  Fasiya is her first album, and does a lovely job of merging her traditional griot heritage with Western sounds (she studied cello, piano and harpsichord at the Royal College of Music.) Even the instrumentation strikes a perfect balance between tradition and afropop sounds, with Jobarteh’s kora, Juldeh Camara’s buzzing ritti (a one-string fiddle), and Baba Galle Kanté’s elegant Fulani flute underpinned by thumping bass and drums, and interlaced with Jobarteh’s own acoustic guitar and Sankung Jobarteh’s flowing electric guitar.

Megan Iacobini de Fazio

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