Kora Jazz Trio
Bright, cascading kora melodies dancing alongside elegant jazz piano. A warm, organic dialogue between West African tradition and cool swing.
Bright, cascading kora melodies dancing alongside elegant jazz piano. A warm, organic dialogue between West African tradition and cool swing.
Imagine the crystalline, harp-like shimmer of the kora meeting the sophisticated, grounded resonance of a jazz grand piano. This is music that feels like a conversation between two old friends who speak different languages but understand each other perfectly. It is light, airy, and deeply rhythmic, trading the aggressive edge of modern jazz for a fluid, circular grace that feels both ancient and contemporary.
What sets them apart is the 'alchemy' of their textures. The kora provides a constant, bubbling stream of notes that the piano punctuates with thoughtful chords and melodic responses. It avoids the clichés of 'world music' by treating both the African and Jazz elements with equal technical rigor, resulting in a sound that is intellectually stimulating yet effortlessly relaxing.
Start with their self-titled debut or 'Part Two'. These albums perfectly capture the original trio's chemistry, offering a refreshing alternative to standard piano trios by replacing the double bass with the intricate, multi-layered pluck of the kora.
Kora Jazz Trio is a three piece African musical group, founded in 2002 by Djeli Moussa Diawara, Guinean Korafola, with Abdoulaye Diabate and Moussa Sissokho, best known for producing a music that is a mix of American jazz with traditional African music. Described as "the encounter between mandinga musical tradition and the freedom of jazz, between West African percussion and Afro-American swing", they have been recognized for their focus on sharing their cultural heritage, without doing so for the sake of mainstream success or in an effort to create a movement. After three albums, Djeli Moussa Diawara left the band to focus on personal projects and was replaced by Soriba Kouyaté. The Kora Jazz Trio was replaced by the Kora Jazz Band in 2010, and the release of the album "Kora Jazz Band & Guests". In 2018 a new album was released, Part IV, with Chérif Soumano replacing Kouyaté on kora, plus guests Manuel Marchès (double bass), Adama Conde (balafon), Boris Caicedo (percussion), Woz Kaly (vocals) and Hervé Morisot (guitar).
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