When American guitarist Walter Strauss and Malian kamal’ngoni master Mamadou Sidibe engage in a musical interplay of finger-style guitar and West African hunter's harp, the result is a deep, soulful music that is simultaneously ancient and fresh. These two unique musicians from distant origins create an intoxicating blend of music in which they gracefully complement each other through intertwining melodic grooves, spirited improvisation, and songs in two languages. Walter Strauss is a "wizard of the fingerstyle guitar" (Folk and Roots, UK). He masterfully weaves together American roots and jazz with music of West Africa and other cultures - layering highly articulated melodies, harmonies, rhythms and counter-rhythms in a way that gives the impression he is playing several instruments at once. “Imagine blending the beauty and strength of Bruce Cockburn's fingerstyle guitar playing, the gravity of Joni Mitchell's jazz, and the elegant simplicity of American roots,” writes Folk & Acoustic Music Exchange. Maverick Magazine (UK) calls him "a many-layered, multi-textured, one-man folk festival". In addition to his solo work, Walter has performed throughout North America, the UK and Ireland with musicians ranging from Grammy winning kora player Mamadou Diabate to eclectic songsters The Burns Sisters and fiddle legend Vassar Clements. Mamadou Sidibe played a groundbreaking role in transforming the popular Wassoulou music of Mali. He was one of the first to break with tradition by creating the now widely used eight-string kamale ngoni, a lute-harp-like instrument that exudes a deep, soulful sound. He broadened the songs from sacred hunters melodies to a popular music of philosophical observations, politics and daily African life. Stylus magazine calls his music, “an almost seamless blend of blues licks and African rhythms. At the center of his music is the same sensibility that you'll find in Muddy Waters: a sense of music as a tool for the recreation of everyday life into something special, even magical.” To hear these two musicians from far flung places collaborate is to take in two souls, listening and greeting one another in a universal language – seamlessly interweaving two continents and two bright musical sensibilities. Websites
Tickets are available online at showtix4u.com and at our Ticket Outlets 2 weeks in advance of show
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