Kabakuwo

West Africa, Quebec World Music

Biography :

Kabakuwo, a group whose name means “fantastic,” was created in 2007 by four musicians with keen interest or origins in the Mandinka culture: Sadio Sissokho (from Senegal) on percussions and vocals, Diely Mori Tounkara (from Mali) on kora and guitar, Cédric Dind-Lavoie (from Quebec) on double bass and electric bass, and Estelle Lavoie (from Quebec) on kora and guitar.

These four artists, all very experienced in mainly African musical styles, took on the challenge of exploring traditional Mandinka music or, rather, exploring music through the Mandinka culture. In addition to traditional pieces, the group’s repertory includes original creations by each of the musicians, with influences ranging from oriental scales to Latin beats and reggae but, above all, encompassing rhythms from Senegal and Mali. Each of the four musicians belongs to various groups, but their common interest in traditional Mandinka music has brought them together in Kabakuwo.

Since it was formed, the group has played often in festivals including the Festival Interculturel de Rawdon, Les Francofolies de Montréal and the Théâtre de Verdure for Vues d’Afrique.

Together, the four musicians take on each traditional piece with integrity and respect for its origin but also with the inventiveness and inspiration that is allowed by this free instrumentation. The double bass and the koras switch between accompanist and solo roles, supported by the percussions. In other pieces, they let the griot tell his stories and allow his voice to be heard, singing Mandinka legends. Kabakuwo is like a trip back to ancestral times, deep in the heart of West Africa, but with a sound that is accessible to today’s ears. It is a mixture that has beneficial virtues, an inexplicable magic potion, irrational but very gentle.