What is a Kora?

The Kora is arguably the most complex chordophone of Africa.

Kora´s are made from half a gourd calabash with a hardwood post that runs through it to which the strings are attached. The calabash is covered with a cowhide that is stretched over the open side of the half calabash and then left in the sun to dry tight and hold the handposts in place. A tall bridge is mounted upright on the skin face of the instrument and separates the strings into two planes.

Kora players have traditionally come from griot families (also from the Mandinka nationalities) who are traditional historians, genealogists and storytellers who pass their skills on to their descendants. The instrument is played in Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Mali, Senegal, Burkina Faso and The Gambia. A traditional kora player is called a Jali, similar to a 'bard' or oral historian. Most West African musicians prefer the term 'jali' to 'griot', which is the French word.

why so interested in the kora? The sound is unique, not only by it´s shape and sound but by the way it is made and how the knowledge and skill of playing is passed on from generation to generation.

when I hear the kora I think of a master jali surrounded by an audience of both young and old still amazed by the story´s that kora narrates to them, great life lessons woven into the fabric of sound.

Long before the written word,history was safeguarded by master Jali´s and this history was passed on from generation to generation, I take great pride in this and so should many more, is it just me or does the society we live in deprive us of the true knowledge of our heritage?

heres a video of a kora jazz fusion :


You just got to love the vibe and the jali´s outfit.