Experience an evening of exceptional music, delicious food, and fine wine in our intimate and relaxed setting
- Complimentary Wine Tasting at 5:30 to 6:00.
- Doors Open and Dinner Served at 6:00
- Dinner Service Closes & Show starts at 7:00 PM (Drinks & Dessert served during show).
About the show:
Join us for an experience of the history, power, magic and guidance of the West African Kora with world renowned 71st-generation virtuoso Madou Sidiki Diabaté, accompanied by his longtime student Salif Bamakora, as the duo explore and nterpret the traditional repertoire of songs and stories of the Djeli, or Griots, the hereditary keepers of knowledge encoded in music. Serving for centuries as advisors, emissaries, oral historians and peacemakers, the Djeli maintain the people’s ties o their cultural inheritance and vitality of purpose with a resilient and adaptive cordage of intertwined praise and remembrance. Masterful musicianship combined with glimpses of the rich and storied significance of West Africa’s musical memory enlivened and animated by the harp strings of an ancient tradition still blossoming in the 21st century.
Madou Sidiki Diabaté is the youngest son of the late Sidiki Diabaté "The King of the Kora". Since 1997 Madou has filled his brother Toumani’s former position as lead kora for some of the best singers and musicians in West Africa, including Kandia Kouyaté, Ami Koita, Baaba Maal, Salif Keita, Sekouba "Bambino" Diabaté, and many others. He has performed at over 1000 concerts and more than 40 festivals throughout Africa, North America, Europe, and Australia. Madou has collaborated with artists such as Damon Albarn, Will Calhoun, and Brian Eno and continues to redefine the role of Kora in the traditional and modern world.
Salif Bamakora, aka Gordon Hellegers, has been playing Kora for over 20 years and has been a primary student of Madou Sidiki Diabaté for over 15 years. Salif is deeply versed in the traditional repertoire, histories, and cultural practices of Mande Djeliya and has become a skilled and experienced performer in concerts around the world. As a foundational member of the world music group SIMRIT and a periodic collaborator with Estas Tonne, Bamakora continues to explore the growing edges of contemporary kora music, from original composition to spontaneous improvisation concerts.
A Listening Room Experience
Hermit Woods is excited to bring talented artists from New England and beyond to perform for you. Each performance will provide you with an intimate, up-close, and personal experience with the performing artists. We ask our audience please refrain from talking during the featured show. Your silence will allow the artists and the audience to immerse themselves in the experience, which is not otherwise possible in larger, noisier environments.
Doors open at 5:30 pm for a complimentary wine tasting. The Loft Doors open at 6:00. We encourage you to arrive early for our wine tasting and enjoy food and wine before the show. Dinner will be served until 7:00 pm, drinks and dessert served during the performance. When the featured artists takes the stage we will ask that the audience remain quiet during the performance. After the show, we invite you to interact with the artists and purchase any music or merchandise offerings if available.
