(Ethnic Jazz, World Fuson, Afro Soul, Female Vocal, Kora) Sona Jobarteh - Fasiya - 2011, MP3, 128 kbps

Sona Jobarteh is the first female kora player to come from a Griot family, as well as a vocalist, multi-instrumentalist and composer from the Gambia and the UK. She was born in 1983 into one of the five principal Kora-playing Griot families from West Africa. She is the granddaughter of the Master Griot of his generation, Amadu Bansang Jobarteh, and cousin of the well-known, celebrated Kora player Toumani Diabate and she is also the sister of the renowned Diaspora Kora player Tunde Jegede.

This is the cutting edge new album from Sona Jobarteh which draws on her unique West African heritage. Already receiving widespread attention for its unique sound, this album combines beautiful infectious melodies with strong West African rhythms.
A perfect blend between the purest West African tradition and the sound of bold innovation, Sona Jobarteh’s 'Fasiya' takes the musical expertise of this female kora virtuoso to a whole new level.
Not many women have risked breaking the male-dominated kora tradition, but Gambian Jobarteh, who has been playing the instrument since she was three, is not afraid of sharing her astounding virtuosity with the public. 'Jarabi', one of the most famous traditional kora tunes, is proof of this mastery with the intricate and agile riffs and solos joined by her strong but limpid voice, all rounded off by inclusion of the djembe and a very original drum set. In this song, as a multi-instrumentalist, Sona also plays the muted guitar, the bass and the karinyan (high hat).
West African praise tradition is addressed in both 'Mamamuso' and 'Mamaké' with Jobarteh thanking her elders for the gifts of love and music. The former – featuring another traditional sound, the interlocking patterns of the balafon (xylophone) – is a light piece in honour of her grandmother, while the latter honours her griot grandfather, with Jobarteh playing the calabash, bass and percussion, alongside her role as singer and guitarist. The track radiates feeling and inspiration, with the deep and heart-beat-esque calabash adding to Jobarteh’s emotional delivery.
Women worldwide, especially those from West Africa, are paid tribute to in 'Musow', an up-beat track that encourages them to remain strong. Following other West African female singers such as Oumou Sangaré, Jobarteh knows the importance of strength in a male dominated world. She has written, composed and produced every song on the album, sings in Malinké, Mandinka, Bambara and Fulbé with ease and carries her tradition with pride, as demonstrated in title track 'Fasiya'. Starting with a brisk kora solo, which underlies the rest of the song, narrator Wilfred Abdoul Willey’s voice surprises us with a beautiful story about the brave Mandé army. The rhythm is kept steady by the dunduns, played as congas by Mbemba Jammeh, giving the feeling of antelopes running in the savannah, reinforced by Jobarteh’s flute playing.
Other kora jewels of the album are 'Suma' and 'Fatafina', this last one also featuring the sabar drum, played by Babacar Dieng and the congas, majestically played by another of London’s kora players, Sura Susso. Two more tracks complete this feast of heart-warming sounds, 'Mali ni ce' and 'Gainaako', in which we find a new sound, that of the one-string fiddle, nyanyeru, typical from Mali’s Wasulu region. The first of the two is a thank you note to all the Malian musicians that welcomed her to their country, including her celebrated kora player cousin Toumani Diabaté; the second one, a dedication to the noble Fulani herdsmen, one of the many ethnicities of West Africa.
'Fasiya' is a complex album that talks to the listener beyond its music or lyrics. The beautiful musicality and its author’s fresh voice and mastery of the kora and other instruments will take you on a wonderful journey; whether this is close to home or a little further away, you certainly won’t be left unaffected.