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The great Salif Keita. The Golden Voice of Africa. He needs no introduction. To me he was introduced in a blaze of light sometime in the early nineties when me and big Derek went to The Three Arts and watched the stage explode with 12 musicians and the still figure of Salif Keita in prayer at the front…then he stood up and opened his mouth and…well you know the rest. Fast forward a number of years (25?) and I am travelling over the Niger on the outskirts of Bamako on a small motorised ferry towards Salif Keita’s island. Me playing to him…he even sang along. Magic.That was only day one of Mali, followed by long late nights playing with Toumani Diabate, meeting his students, his family, rehearsing with the Symmetric Orchestra, jamming with Sonhai Blues, incredible guitarists, kora players…hearing Djelifily Sacko every night and every morning, and learning with him three new compositions, hearing what a transcendent master sounds like…and then performing at The Acoustik Festival Bamako, the first international music festival in Bamako since the crisis of 2012.
And now I am back. I have a new teaching studio at the top of Kloof Street and I am teaching anybody who loves this music. Some of the people have never touched a guitar before and we are learning guitar using only kora compositions. Some are professional musicians who want a new angle on music. Some are performers who struggle to perform and need a process to clear the decks so they can play without nerves. I am also teaching online. In UK, States, France, Denmark etc…These lessons are 30 minutes and we slowly build up a repertoire and language in this music, swopping tablatures by email and using my Montessori method which works so well online I sometimes wonder if it isn’t better than face to face! If you would like to join please get in touch. For online the rates are here: http://www.derekgripper.com/skype-guitar-lessons/ and for lessons in town the classes are an hour (sometimes longer). Email me for rates Thank you to everyone who came to Christ Church performance, it was wonderful to arrive back in Cape Town to a full house. Tours kick off again in May with New York Guitar Festival and Shakori HIlls among others, and then the Songlines Encounters festival in June with John Williams…see here for the full list. And if you haven’t yet got a copy of Libraries on Fire it is here Love, |