West African musician Foday Musa Suso is a master of textures and expression.
Suso plays his kora, a West African 21-stringed lute-like instrument that almost has the resonance of a harp, with grace. Lightly darting over the strings, the natural and expressive kora sounds almost like an extension of Sosa's body. It's hard to imagine one set of hands playing such intricate music.
But it's true, and Suso is internationally recognized for his skillful and animated work. He will be performing at the Outpost Performance Space Saturday.
The melodies are neither overly happy nor melodramatic. Instead, Suso brings elegant sorrow into the harmony and a playful sensibility into his work. The overall effect of the complex and subtle mood is striking.
His playing is so lively and inspired, it's hard to tell whether the recordings on his demo are improvised or previously composed, but the work's involved nature implies the latter.
Beyond his brilliant technique, Suso is a griot, a musician and oral historian, for the Mandingo people. According to a news release, griots in Suso's native Gambia are "walking libraries," who provide historical accounts, imparting wisdom and entertainment.
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Suso left Gambia for Chicago in 1977. There he sought ways to mingle his knowledge of the griot tradition with modern music.
Though he works with blending other genres with his sound, Suso is considered an authority and spokesman for the West African griot tradition and has been consulted for books and documentaries on the topic.
Whether Suso is working in the customary format of his homeland or experimenting with new sounds - like the synthesizer noises and blues guitar on his demo - he is definitely a formidable musician to be reckoned with.
