The Andrew Oliver Kora Band combines elements of jazz and traditional West African music to create a unique soul-stirring sound.

In the wake of his 2007 tour of West Africa with the U.S. State Department’s Rhythm Road: American Music Abroad, pianist and composer Andrew Oliver was inspired to dive deeper into the relationship between jazz and West African music. His exploration led to the founding of the Kora Band, featuring atypical instrumentation that highlights Kane Mathis on the 21-string Kora, a traditional harp from West Africa.

Mathis is one of the most accomplished Kora players in the U.S., having spent many years in The Gambia studying with master musicians. Also featured are Chad McCullough on trumpet, Brady Millard-Kish on bass, and Mark DiFlorio on drums. The talented ensemble performs both original compositions designed to explore the many possibilities of its unique timbre as well as traditional and modern songs from West Africa arranged specifically for the band.

For the Empty Sea Studios performance, the Kora Band will take a more “acoustic” approach, with Mark DiFlorio replacing drumset with a calabash-based percussion setup. Andrew will play Fender Rhodes. The tunes typically featuring Kane on electric guitar will be performed on acoustic. This will make for a unique and intimate set from the Kora Band in a room known for its fine acoustic quality, which promises to accentuate the unique acoustic properties of the kora even more than usual.