Landmark is level 2 of 4 in the The Gambia Hall of Fame: a first that opened a door, or the pre-eminent figure of their generation in this country. See how the levels work.
Why they are here
Before him, the kora was known to a handful of ethnomusicologists. He played Newport in 1973, and every kora player touring today is working in ground he cleared.
Alhaji Bai Konte was a Gambian jali from Brikama, born into a hereditary griot family whose grandfather had brought them from the Kankaba region of Mali; his father was a celebrated kora composer.
His 1973 Rounder Records album, Kora Melodies from the Republic of the Gambia, West Africa, drew a rave review from Robert Palmer in the New York Times. He was the first kora player to tour the United States as a soloist, appearing at the 1973 Newport Jazz Festival, the Philadelphia Folk Festival and the National Festival of American Folklife. Before his tours the instrument was barely known outside West Africa.
His 1973 Rounder Records album, Kora Melodies from the Republic of the Gambia, West Africa, drew a rave review from Robert Palmer in the New York Times. He was the first kora player to tour the United States as a soloist, appearing at the 1973 Newport Jazz Festival, the Philadelphia Folk Festival and the National Festival of American Folklife. Before his tours the instrument was barely known outside West Africa.
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