We are extremely excited to announce an evening of Kora duets with Madou Sidiki Diabaté and Salif Bamakora on Monday, July 29th. The show will take place outdoors with seats if the weather permits, or in the barn if it’s raining.

Kora is the ancient 21-string West African harp, traditional instrument of the Mande Djeliya. We are profoundly honored to host these two incredible musicians here in West Brooksville.

Madou Sidiki Diabaté is a 71st generation Kora player from Mali, West Africa. The younger brother of Toumani Diabaté, the world’s first Grammy award winning Kora player, Madou has become one of the world’s greatest living Kora players. Highly respected in Mande society for his profound traditional knowledge and renowned internationally for his dramatic virtuosity, Madou has toured extensively with West Africa’s finest singers, such as Salif Keita, Baaba Maal and Kandia Kouyaté. Musically adventurous, Madou has collaborated with artists such as Damon Albarn, Will Calhoun and Brian Eno, and continues to redefine the role of Kora in the traditional and modern world.

Salif Bamakora, aka Gordon Hellegers, has been playing Kora for over 20 years as a perpetual student of Mande Djeli, or Griots, the hereditary keepers of history and knowledge encoded in music. A primary student of Madou Sidiki Diabaté for over 15 years, Salif is deeply versed in the traditional repertoire, histories and cultural practices of Mande Djeliya and has become a skilled and experienced performer in concerts around the world, sharing not only music, but also telling traditional stories and illuminating some of their deeper meanings and significance.

Kora duets between Madou Sidiki Diabaté and Salif Bamakora endeavor to further develop the growing edges of Mande traditional Kora in the modern age. In pairing 71st generation Kora virtuoso Diabaté with long-time student and collaborator Bamakora, the two explore the endless possibilities of interpretation with original arrangements of the traditional songs of Djeliya. Combined with storytelling of the knowledge and history carried within the music, audiences receive an immersion in the sounds, stories and ancient vitality of the Kora with a deeply relevant message to the global audiences of the present day.

Doors open at 5PM with pizza and drinks available for purchase.

Music starts at 6:30 PM.

Children 13 and under get in free.

Music will be outside, and seating will be provided.

Tickets are $30, and advanced purchase is strongly recommended.

Please contact us at tinderhearth@gmail.com with any questions or concerns.