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Kora kana is a new band playing ancient string music from West Africa, borrowing heavily from griot traditions, rural blues, and mountain music.

Band leader Tyler Richart initially traveled to West Africa to study percussion music with the master djembe player, Famoudou Konate, in 2002. After several weeks of intense study and practice, and then being asked by his teacher to find a more quiet hobby to appease the neighbors, Tyler took up lessons on the 21 string West African harp, the kora.

After learning the basic parts to a couple of songs from his first teacher, Sidiki Yayo, Tyler returned to the states and prepared for his next voyage, a six month trip the the heartland of the kora, The Gambia. Tyler then spent six months during the winter of 2002-2003 studying kora and singing in Brikama, The Gambia, with the family of kora master, Malamini Jobarteh.

A couple of years after his return to the US, Tyler spied a banjo hanging on the wall of a friend, and realized the banjo was a less civilized relative of the kora.  Weeks later, his mother called to tell him that she had found one of these primitive drum-guitars at a garage sale, and was buying it for him. Tyler took up a feverish study of the instrument before recognizing it’s inherent limitations and moving on to the guitar and mandolin. In addition, Tyler started to try to sing like the self proclaimed King of Bluegrass, Jimmy Martin, and therefore won over many friends in the bluegrass and mountain music community. One of those friends, Cort Armstrong, had been steeped in the mountain blues styles of the Piedmont region, and was greatly influenced by the Reverend Gary Davis.

Tyler and Cort became fast friends and started playing and singing together. One late night on the porch, after a fair amount of imbibing, Tyler put away his mandolin and brought out his kora, and an old friend of Cort’s, Sean Divine, got out his harmonica. Cort tuned up his resophonic guitar, and the seeds of kora kana were planted. Over the next two years, Tyler would occasionally bring out the kora and show Cort and Sean a traditional song or two. In January of 2011, the final piece of band was added. Kia Armstrong added the upright bass and a badly needed touch of class to the band of haggard musicians. The group started working on arrangements, utilizing the vocal talents of the three men (who are all fantastic singers in their own right), and blending together the sublime vocal harmonies that kora kana has come to be known for.

Kora kana is a real treat for their audiences, blending Americana sensibilities and ancient Manding string music. Tyler sings with a strong emotive voice, tells amusing anecdotes about his travels, and a presents a healthy heaping of the cultural context and meanings of the songs of West Africa. Seeing this band play is a one of a kind experience.

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Seattle-based musician Kane Mathis is one of the country’s leading performers on the Kora, a traditional 21-string harp of the Mandinka people of West Africa. On Nov. 19, he will perform in a duo setting with Portland-based pianist Andrew Oliver. The duo forms part of the 5-piece Kora Band, also led by Oliver, which has been quickly gaining recognition since the September release of their new album Cascades (OA2 Records), which has peaked at #12 on the Mediaguide World Music Radio Charts.

This will be an opportunity to hear the kora and piano in an intimate duo setting outside of the full band. The unlikely combination of these two stringed instruments creates a unique texture of rhythmic and melodic counterpoint which Oliver and Mathis have developed over several years, drawing from jazz influences as well as the traditional repertoire of the Mandinka people and other West African sources.

Tickets: $35 advance / door

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Note: The Folklife Masters series tends to sell out quickly. Don’t lose your chance to claim a seat at this one-of-a-kind venue!

Northwest Folklife and Empty Sea Studios are proud to present the third concert in the 2009 Folklife Masters concert series.

Folklife Masters presents one-of-a-kind concerts which bring master musicians from different traditions together to collaborate and inspire on stage. In our intimate 45-seat listening room, every nuance of these masters’ performances can be savored.

A portion of the proceeds go directly to support Northwest Folklife.

Mirah & Kane Mathis: A World of New Traditions

Mirah Tom Tov Zeitlyn has been at the heart of the vibrant Northwest independent music scene ever since her debut album. Signed by legendary underground record label K Records in 1999, her music has always been eclectic, drawing from a myriad of global influences and using musicians from many different backgrounds.  In Kane Mathis, Northwest global musician par excellence, Mirah has found the perfect collaborator.  Kane is a sublime musician and truly dedicated to the traditions that he studies.  Considered a master of the West African harp known as the kora, as well as an excellent Turkish lute (eud) player, Kaneis music is always engaging and subtle. When matched with Mirah’s introspective songwriting, the duo represents the best of Northwest acoustic music. This will be an evening of soul-driven music with roots reaching to the far corners of the earth.

Mirah’s career in music has been more varied and eclectic than nearly any other artist in the world of independent music. Her early albums were an exploration of the territories beyond lo-fi, aiming to transcend technical limitations and to push the boundaries of “indie-rock” towards a more meaningful communicative goal. With each album, Mirah has pushed herself and her music further, like a modern-day sonic explorer. The release of her newest album, (a)spera, saw her collaborating with a wide range of musicians from indie producer Tucker Martine to global percussionist Mehmet Vurkac and Chris Funk of The Decemberists. She collaborated closely with Kane Mathis for this record, resulting in a beautiful duet track, “The Shells”, that featured Kane on kora with Mirahis ethereal vocals. Mirahis artistry defies description, but her music is anchored by her thoughtful songwriting and her beautiful vocals.

A musical renaissance man, Kane Mathis has traveled the globe to immerse himself in some of the world’s most beautiful traditions. Years of study with generous masters has led him to a mastery of his chosen instruments: the Western guitar, the Turkish oud and the Gambian kora. Kane began taking trips to The Gambia, West Africa in 1997 and has continued rigorous study of the Mandinka Kora. Over the past ten years his performances have earned him recognition by the Gambian president, The Gambian minister of culture, and both national television and radio of The Gambia. Not content to devote himself to a single instrument, Kane moved from the kora to the Turkish oud, an ancestor of the Western lute. He studied the oud both in Istanbul and here in Seattle with Oud virtuoso Munir Nurttin Beken, then visiting artist at the University of Washington. Throughout all his musical journeys, Kane brings the same dedicated focus on mastering a purity of sound. This is what makes him such a compelling artist.

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