Sanneh Kuyate - Kaiye & Sajyo

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4...according to our Brett on Thu 05 Nov, 2009.

New library-type recordings of Fourth World sounds seem to be pretty in vogue at the moment and Bo'Weavil fingerpicker C. Joynes is in on the action with his Leith Hill Recordings label and this CDr of Sanneh Kuyate called Kaiye & Sajyo, also the names of the two whopping tracks involved. He's pretty much jamming on a simple, repetitive riff on a Kora (a 21 string harp type thing it seems) while having what sounds like crazy banter with the partygoers around him but apparently it's the texts of standard tunes he's reciting. It's a hypnotic listen, quite remarkable for the consistency of his playing, and with the lively background sounds you could easily close your eyes and imagine you're engrossed in some fine Gambian revelry. Transporatative!

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Sanneh Kuyate was recorded for this disc at a party in Janjanbureh, an island halfway up the River Gambia. He accompanies himself on the Kora, a 21-stringed harp-like instrument most often used by Griots, a loose caste of musician-families spread across Western Africa.

Of the two extended pieces here, the stand-out track is 'Sajyo', a Mandinka standard which most recently appeared on Toumani Diabate's Symmetric Orchestra album. However, this is a rawer version altogether. Clocking in at a hypnotic 35 minutes, and recited rather than sung, this is unlike the sophisticated and cosmopolitan afrofunk treatment given by Toumani Diabate, and closer to the orginal traditions of the Songhai griots.

These mesmirising perfomances, combined with the lively surrounding ambience, make this an ideal CD for collectors of field-recordings and traditional African music."

Recorded on location by C Joynes.

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