Various Artists – Tales of the Kora (Sheer Music/ Planet MGM)

The Kora is a West African harp, an instrument with between 21 and 25 strings, which are attached between a gourd the size of a large bowling ball and a hardwood neck which runs through the entire body. It is commonly played in a seated position between the legs, the player holding wooden hand posts and plucking at strings in front of their face with thumbs and forefingers. The sound is unlike anything you hear in Western music, it is lighter than the acoustic guitar with much more depth and harmonic range thanks to the abundance of strings. Mali Musician Tounami Diabate is a master of this instrument as was his father and grandfather and he appears twice on Tales of the Kora, once with American bluesman Taj Mahal with whom he released an album. It’s further evidence of the Western world catching on to the beauty of the Kora’ sound and some of the incredible exponents of this instrument. Some of the big names of African music appear here, everyone from Baaba Maal to Mali’ greatest living singer Kandia Kouyate thanks to the Kora’ ease at accompanying singers and other instrumentation. Yet so incredible is the sound you can never really be sure who’ accompanying whom.