Seckou Keita – The Foundry, Sheffield

This is a joyful celebration of life and music. The entire eight-piece band radiates happiness, a sense of fun, enjoyment of their music, and humility – a glorious evening.

Keita, who lives in the UK but hails from Senegal, mostly performs tracks from his latest album, Homeland, exploring what home means to us all.

He is a master of the kora – the West African Harp – a beautiful, long, 21 stringed instrument. It makes a sweet, light, crisp and clear sound. Keita follows in the footsteps of other West African players of the kora like Toumani Diabaté, who have experimented by infusing the traditional kora sound with other musical styles. Unusually, Keita plays the kora standing – performers traditionally sit cross legged. Keita explains that the kora is made from the shell of the calabash fruit, which is not eaten, but used for carrying water, storage and musical instruments. The kora’s neck is made of mahogany and the strings of fishing line. It’s played with both thumbs and index fingers. The left thumb plays the bass line, the right the melody and the index fingers improvise. “Easy” he says with a grin! “Tuning is always part of the performance!”

Keita is joined on stage by seven accomplished Senegalese and Gambian musicians. In introducing his Homeland concept, Keita says “Where is home? Is it the place I’m from; where I leave; where I walk to; what I feel like; or where I am now?” With a title like Homeland, you’d be forgiven for expecting wistful, perhaps even mournful music, but the combination of the gentle kora with the drums, percussion, two guitars, keyboard and two vocalists produces an evening of uplifting, eclectic music that gets everyone dancing, smiling and joining in. Keita and his entire band generate a very welcoming, happy atmosphere.

The first track, Welcome, is played solely by Keita on the kora and a drummer, accompanied by the spoken word. A very atmospheric and thought-provoking start. Over the two hours of performance though, the band play a great variety of beautiful, rhythmical and lively music that gives us the sense that humanity, understanding and welcome are the important things – an overdue counter to some of today’s rhetoric.

All the tracks hit the mark and the only element that works less well is the playing of pre-recorded poetry over some of the tracks – the disembodied voices seem strange when the whole focus of the performance is live and inclusive. That is never better demonstrated than the audience singing along to Wakili – “I can do it, you can do it, we can do it, they can do it” – which provides an empowering memory of the whole evening. Thoroughly recommended.

Reviewed on 2nd November 2024. Touring until 21st November 2024.