Please note, the advertised start time is when our doors will open, generally music starts one hour after doors.
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Jali Bakary
“An exceptional purveyor of the Gambian tradition” - Afropop Worldwide
Jali Bakary is the grandson and son, respectively, of the legendary Gambian kora players Alhaji Bai Konte (who helped to bring kora music to the wider world with his iconic album Kora Melodies From the Republic of the Gambia, West Africa in 1973) and Dembo Konte. As Banning Eyre has put it, “it is difficult to overstate the regal, nearly divine, stature” of the Konte family in the echelons of West African music.
Born into this remarkable musical lineage and steeped in Gambia’s griot tradition, Jali Bakary is the latest torchbearer for his family’s kora legacy on the world stage. He has performed extensively throughout West and North Africa, as well as in the UK and the rest of Europe (WOMAD, Roskilde Festival, the Barbican).
Although the kora tradition has changed a lot over the last half a century, it has never stayed still. Like his father and grandfather before him, Jali Bakary brings his own personal touch and innovations to traditional songs with unique melodic and rhythmic arrangements.
A hugely versatile musician, he regularly performs solo, as well as with his own band, Minyanta, and Balimaya Project - a new 13 piece collective who fuse West-African folkloric music and jazz. Jali Bakary released his debut album, Konteh Kunda, in 2010 and currently lives in London. He will soon be releasing his second solo album.
As Banning Eyre has put it, “it is difficult to overstate the regal, nearly divine, stature” of the Konte family in the echelons of West African music.
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Dana Sipos
Acclaimed Canadian songwriter Dana Sipos inhabited the far north before going nomad and her captivatingly nuanced songs are filled with a wild wind and a haunting surrealism. Described as "slightly strange and completely mesmerizing" (Gold Flake Paint UK), Sipos’ talent for earthen imagery, rich spiralling vocals, and textured instrumentation sets the stage for a deeply moving performance.
A consummate performer, Sipos has brought her unique brand of cosmic folk to concert halls, living rooms and festival stages across North America, Europe, the UK, Australia and New Zealand. Her 2021 release, The Astral Plane was lauded as a " mesmerizing jewel of an album" (No Depression) and garnered Sipos a Solo Artist of the Year nomination at the 2022 Canadian Folk Music Awards. With a new collection of captivating songs that hold the complexity of the human experience up to the light, her new album Golden Molten will be released in 2025.
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