Live music review: Toumani and Sidiki Diabaté

Venue: Cork Opera House

If music evokes locale, then this version speaks of deserts and oases, of the Touareg and Mandinke peoples. It also speaks of famine, drought and war — but these things come and go. Toumani Diabaté is the foremost exponent of the kora and is in the long line of an ancient tradition called the griot (rhymes with brio) that records the stories and traditions of the Malian people. The idea is something akin to our seanachaí and sept — of an oral tradition.

Now Toumani is passing the mantle onto his son Sidiki and this is their first tour together.

Their griot has endured over 71 generations. The griot is passed on to father and son while the women sing and dance. “You have to be born griot, you can’t become griot,” Toumani tells us.

The kora itself has 21 strings made of fish gut and a goat skin tightened over the body which gives it a deep percussive sound to complement the strings. The instrument is capable of baseline, melody and improvisation at the same time, says Toumani.

As for the gig, Sidiki strides onto stage dressed in an ankle-length satin blue garment. A pair of trainers are a nod to his other love — hip hop. A proud father tells us Sidiki plays to huge crowds at home and is a feted pop star in his own right. A meditative solo introduces us to the magnificent instrument. Incredibly rapid playing gives way to a more plaintive style as Sidiki demonstrates his effortless ability.

Then his father comes on stage, dressed in the same garb and straightaway the two are harmonising. Toumani is an amazing performer, deeply grounded in his playing but you get the impression that Sidiki is ready to take flight at any moment and bring the kora in a new direction. “The Jimi Hendrix of the kora,” said a fan later. The deepest of bonds unites these two flawless performers.

Finally, Toumani plays an encore entitled Lampedusa — a lament for the recently drowned African migrants near the microscopic Italian island. Aside from moving to Mali is this music even discernible on a deep level to western audiences not familiar with the griot? Not a bad idea.