Yundum Nko

When I listen the assigned selection entitled “Yundum Nko” from the jali tradition of West Africa I envision a small gathering listening to one performer who is located in the middle. In my mind the performer in the middle acts as the equivalent as a storyteller and the listeners are his/hers captive audience. In a way, the performer is telling a story through his instrument (which is called the Kora) and that sense this piece gives makes it more enjoyable to listen to. When one thinks of rhythm in this piece, a clear delineation is not obvious. The rhythmic aspect of the track requires a significant amount of imagination, critical thinking, deductive reasoning, and creativity. Since there is no rhythm section or instruments that would make up such a section (idiophones and membranophones), the rhythm is more of the concept of “free” rhythm.

This basically means that the cadences that the Kora produces flow together in relative sections that are definitely not definitive and are largely left for the listener’s imagination to figure out. Having said that, the background strumming of the Kora was not so much ostinato (the same rhythm repeating itself) in that it was constantly changing pace and that definitely added an interesting flavor to the song as a whole. When one also adds the very prominent vocals into the mix, it really brings up the feeling of longing to be there because of how clearly passionate the vocalist is while he is singing. In my opinion, this song would be more enjoyable if it was experienced live and one could actually see the expressions on his face and the impression of the audience. The same things can be said about the so-called “rhythm” of the singer’s vocal style in that it’s not structured in a way that could be easily delineated by the tapping of one’s foot or the nodding of one’s head. With that being said, one (or at least I do) wonders how (or if) an individual dances to this type of music, if they do it often, and what type of event or events in which the dance is done.

The performer, Jali Nyama Suso, lived from 1925 to 1991 and died of TB, but his legacy definitely lives with him being one of the most prominent Kora players. If one has the desire to listen to musicians playing the Kora live and they can’t afford to travel to West Africa, there are at least two options (that I know of) based in the Asheville North Carolina area. The first option is a band composed of Warren Wilson College alumni called Toubab Krewe and the second option is an individual named Sean Gaskel. I had the distinct pleasure of hearing Toubab Krewe perform when they came to Warren Wilson College about three years ago and there was barely any room to dance it was so jam packed. If Jali Nyama Suso were alive today, I am sure that he would have enjoyed that show very much.