Foday Musa Suso
Encyclopedia
Foday Musa Suso is a musician and composer from the West Africa
n nation of Gambia. He is a member of the Mandinka
ethnic group, and is a jali
. His primary instrument is the kora
, but he also plays the gravikord
and several other instruments.
Suso emigrated to Chicago
in the 1970s, being one of the first jalis to relocate to North America
.
He has performed with Philip Glass
and the Kronos Quartet
. He was also a co-founder of the fusion jazz band The Mandingo Griot Society.
His electrified kora can also be heard on several tracks on Herbie Hancock
's 1984 electro-funk album Sound-System
. The following year, Suso and Hancock came out with another album, Village Life
, that consists entirely of duets between them, Hancock on synthesizer and Suso on kora, talking drums, and vocals.
West Africa
West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. Geopolitically, the UN definition of Western Africa includes the following 16 countries and an area of approximately 5 million square km:-Flags of West Africa:...
n nation of Gambia. He is a member of the Mandinka
Mandinka people
The Mandinka, Malinke are one of the largest ethnic groups in West Africa with an estimated population of eleven million ....
ethnic group, and is a jali
Griot
A griot or jeli is a West African storyteller. The griot delivers history as a poet, praise singer, and wandering musician. The griot is a repository of oral tradition. As such, they are sometimes also called bards...
. His primary instrument is the kora
Kora (instrument)
The kora is a 21-string bridge-harp used extensively in West Africa.-Description:A kora is built from a large calabash cut in half and covered with cow skin to make a resonator, and has a notched bridge. It does not fit well into any one category of western instruments and would have to be...
, but he also plays the gravikord
Gravikord
The gravikord is an electric double bridge-harp invented by Robert Grawi in 1986.- Description :The gravikord is a new instrument developed on the basis of the West African kora. It is made of welded stainless steel tubing, with 24 nylon strings but no resonating gourd or skin. The bridge is made...
and several other instruments.
Suso emigrated to Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
in the 1970s, being one of the first jalis to relocate to North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
.
He has performed with Philip Glass
Philip Glass
Philip Glass is an American composer. He is considered to be one of the most influential composers of the late 20th century and is widely acknowledged as a composer who has brought art music to the public .His music is often described as minimalist, along with...
and the Kronos Quartet
Kronos Quartet
Kronos Quartet is a string quartet founded by violinist David Harrington in 1973 in Seattle, Washington. Since 1978, the quartet has been based in San Francisco, California. The longest-running combination of performers had Harrington and John Sherba on violin, Hank Dutt on viola, and Joan...
. He was also a co-founder of the fusion jazz band The Mandingo Griot Society.
His electrified kora can also be heard on several tracks on Herbie Hancock
Herbie Hancock
Herbert Jeffrey "Herbie" Hancock is an American pianist, bandleader and composer. As part of Miles Davis's "second great quintet," Hancock helped to redefine the role of a jazz rhythm section and was one of the primary architects of the "post-bop" sound...
's 1984 electro-funk album Sound-System
Sound-System (album)
Sound-System is the thirty-sixth album by jazz pianist Herbie Hancock and the second of three albums with the Rockit Band.-About the Album:The second of the three Rockit band albums, Sound-System was another smash for Herbie Hancock....
. The following year, Suso and Hancock came out with another album, Village Life
Village Life (album)
Village Life is an album by jazz pianist Herbie Hancock and Foday Musa Suso recorded live in the studio in Japan in 1985.-Track listing:# "Moon/Light" - 7:57# "Ndan Ndan Nyaria" - 9:50# "Early Warning" - 2:52...
, that consists entirely of duets between them, Hancock on synthesizer and Suso on kora, talking drums, and vocals.
Discography
- 1970 - Kora Music from Gambia (Folkways RecordsFolkways RecordsFolkways Records was a record label founded by Moses Asch that documented folk, world, and children's music. It was acquired by the Smithsonian Institution in 1987, and is now part of Smithsonian Folkways.-History:...
) - 1979 - Mandingo Griot Society (Flying FishFlying Fish RecordsFlying Fish Records was a Chicago-based eclectic blues and country record label. It was founded in 1974 by Bruce Kaplan, former president of the University of Chicago's Folklore Society....
) - 1982 - Mighty Rhythm (Flying Fish)
- 1984 - Hand Power (Flying Fish)
- 1984 - Herbie Hancock, Sound-SystemSound-System (album)Sound-System is the thirty-sixth album by jazz pianist Herbie Hancock and the second of three albums with the Rockit Band.-About the Album:The second of the three Rockit band albums, Sound-System was another smash for Herbie Hancock....
(ColumbiaColumbia RecordsColumbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
) (guest appearances) - 1985 - Village LifeVillage Life (album)Village Life is an album by jazz pianist Herbie Hancock and Foday Musa Suso recorded live in the studio in Japan in 1985.-Track listing:# "Moon/Light" - 7:57# "Ndan Ndan Nyaria" - 9:50# "Early Warning" - 2:52...
with Herbie Hancock (Columbia) - 1986 - Mansa Bendung (Flying Fish)
- 1990 - The Dreamtime (CMP)
- 1992 - Philip Glass and Foday Musa Suso: Music from The Screens (POINT Music)
- 2005 - Music from the Hearts of the Masters (with Jack DeJohnetteJack DeJohnetteJack DeJohnette is an American jazz drummer, pianist, and composer. He is one of the most influential jazz drummers of the 20th century, due to extensive work as leader and sideman for musicians like Miles Davis, Joe Henderson, Freddie Hubbard, Keith Jarrett and Sonny...
) (Kindred Rhythm) - 2008 - The Two Worlds (Orange Mountain Music)
External links
- Foday Musa Suso official site
- Foday Musa Suso page from Other Minds site
- Kora Music from Gambia Album Details at Smithsonian FolkwaysSmithsonian FolkwaysSmithsonian Folkways is the nonprofit record label of the Smithsonian Institution. It is a part of the Smithsonian's Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, located at Capital Gallery in downtown Washington, D.C. The label was founded in 1987 after the family of Moses Asch, founder of Folkways...