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Alla L'a Ke

from Routes by Kaira Ba

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    Anchored by the kora and vocals of griot kora player and singer Diali Keba Cissokho, Kaira Ba has created a singular cross-cultural statement with their 2018 album Routes. This album builds a bridge across the Atlantic, connecting worlds thousands of miles apart but intimately bound by a shared history. Over the course of two years, Diali Cissokho & Kaira Ba recorded Routes in North Carolina, USA, and in M’bour, Senegal. The collaboration grew to include 35 musicians, each of whom listened deeply to the others in this musical conversation. Sounds of Senegal intertwine with those of the U.S. South -- sabar and soruba orchestras, tama (talking drum), balafon, and fula flute weave through gospel organ and pedal steel, sax, trumpet, trombone and string quartet – musicians calling back and forth across continents, drawing each other close though an ocean away.
    credits
    released June 29, 2018

    Produced by Jonathan Henderson and Jason Richmond

    Kaira Ba is:
    Diali Keba Cissokho - Kora, Lead vocals
    John Westmoreland - Guitar, Charango
    Jonathan Henderson - Bass, Percussion
    Austin McCall - Drum Kit, Calabash, Percussion
    Will Ridenour - Djembe, Sabar, Dunduns, Congas, Percussion

    Featuring,
    Senegalese Artists:
    Ablaye Daffé - Soruba, Sabar
    Ablaye Cissokho - Soruba, Sabar
    Mamadou Cissokho - Soruba, Sabar, Guitar, Vocals
    Abdou Ndiaye - Soruba, Sabar
    Bayemor Mbaye - Soruba, Sabar
    Yaye Boye - Vocals
    Yande - Backing Vocals
    Ndai Mbaye - Backing Vocals
    Sunkare Kouyate - Balafon
    Baba Galle Kante - Fula Flute
    Ibrahima Sene - Tama

    U.S. Artists:
    Eric Heywood - Pedal Steel Guitar
    Tony Williamson - Mandolin
    Shana Tucker - Vocals
    Tamisha Waden - Vocals
    Alan Thompson - Alto Saxophone
    Jennifer Curtis - 1st Violin, Solo Violin
    Elizabeth Phelps - 2nd Violin
    Suzanne Rousso - Viola
    Paula Peroutka - Cello
    Beverly Botsford - Shekere and Sound Colors
    Chuckey Robinson - Organ
    Lynn Grissett - Trumpet
    Andy Kleindienst - Trombone
    Jim Henderson - Baritone Saxophone
    Sidya Cissokho - Sabar

    Executive Producer, Jonathan Henderson
    Recorded and Mixed by Jason Richmond
    Recorded at Auberge Africa Thiossane (Saly, Senegal) and Fidelitorium Recordings, Sound Pure Studios, and Moeser Auditorium (North Carolina, USA)
    Mastering by Dave McNair

    Cover art by Saba Taj
    Interior design and layout by Cherie Westmoreland
    Liner notes by Diali Cissokho, Will Ridenour, and Jonathan Henderson

    All photographs by Jonathan Henderson except booklet cover by Bruce dePyssler and Assistant Engineer at Fidelitorium Recordings: Andrew McClenney

    All songs written, arranged, and recorded by Diali Cissokho & Kaira Ba, except “Xarit” by Youssoupha Cissokho, and “Waajur” by Mamadou Cissokho (from “Night in M’bour”)

    © Twelve | Eight Records 2018

    Includes unlimited streaming of Routes via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.     ... more
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about

One of the most widely-played pieces in the traditional kora repertoire, Alla L’a Ke has a deep history among the Mande ethnic groups. It’s often the first piece taught to young kora students. My late father, Ibrahima Cissokho, taught me this song is like school for a kora player. It teaches the alphabet of the kora and how to speak its language. When I hear this song I think about my father, who often said, “This is the number one song! Keep it close.” In this version of Alla L’a Ke, I sing about my profound disbelief when he passed away. When he died I was so surprised, but I realized I had to accept it. L’homme propose, Dieu dispose, as they say: No matter what a person wants, it’s God who decides what happens.

lyrics

A person can choose / but God’s decision is everything / nobody can undo it / my father has passed away / it can’t be taken back / God, you have surprised me / I didn’t know you could do this to me / but Father, I’m back / I’m back playing Alla L’a Ke for you / come back! / I’m singing to the Cissokhos / everybody clap your hands / today is gonna be a beautiful day

credits

from Routes, released June 29, 2018
Diali Keba Cissokho - Kora, Lead Vocals | John Westmoreland - Electric Guitar | Jonathan Henderson - Bass | Austin McCall - Drum Kit | Will Ridenour - Djembe | Alan Thompson - Alto Saxophone | Ablaye Daffé, Ablaye Cissokho, Mamadou Cissokho, Abdou Ndiaye, Bayemor Mbaye - Soruba, Sabar | Yaye Boye, Yande, Ndai Mbaye - Vocals | Jennifer Curtis - 1st Violin | Elizabeth Phelps - 2nd Violin | Suzanne Rousso - Viola | Paula Peroutka - Cello | Jonathan Henderson - String Arrangement | Jason Richmond - North Carolina Cicadas and M’bour Fish Market Field Recordings

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Kaira Ba Pittsboro, North Carolina

Kaira Ba's music is steeped in ancient West African griot traditions, but propelled into the 21st century by the modernizing impulses of a rock band format. Cissokho's electrifying voice conveys timeless themes of mythology, migration, and and justice. Together, Kaira Ba's cross-continental music illuminates stories centuries-old; renewing their relevance in a globalized world. ... more

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