Alphousseyni Kouyate shreds the kora (part I)

This morning (August 28), Alphousseyni and I had a marathon recording session at his uncles’ house. The "recording studio" was pretty haphazard--he sat cross-legged on the floor for two hours and sang into the microphone that I had taped to a stick and leaned up against a chair. Alpho played his kora with typical elegance the entire time, and his singing was incredibly on-key; we finished nine songs, each one a live track with vocals and kora, and he never once needed a second take on any song. I realized anew today what a rare talent Alphousseyni is--even by the high standards of the Mandinka community here, he is a standout. I personally have never heard a kora player, live or on record, with a more beautiful voice, and he plays with the effortless grace of a true master. I am pretty lucky to have fallen into his lap as his protectorate this month; I am really living, eating, and sleeping with (and being kept awake at night by the snoring of) an artist who might not have many rivals in the entire world, seriously. With comparable talents in the US, I sincerely think Alphousseyni would be famous; here in Dakar, though, he is sadly just another highly skilled, professionally trained musicians who can’t make a living. I wish my equipment and feeble skills as a recording engineer were better--my sloppy work does not do his artistry justice, but at least you can get an idea.
I’ll post two very different selections from the songs I recorded this morning, the first of which is a really beautiful piece called "Maryama." If you listen closely towards the end of the song, you will hear Alphousseyni sing for me in the traditional manner--he bestows blessings on me for being kind, and praises Karina and my mom (I think he forgot your name, Dad, sorry), and also says that Washington State is beautiful. Anyhow, I love the sound of the kora in this piece--he plays a looping pattern in a high register and the effect is really mesmerizing.
Please see the next post above for the second piece!