Juno winners coming to LSSU

NEWS RELEASE

LAKE SUPERIOR
STATE UNIVERSITY

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African guitar music breezes into LSSU

SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. — Springtime lands in Sault Ste. Marie when one of Canada’s hottest world-music ensembles, African Guitar Summit (AGS), brings its unique sound to Lake Superior State University’s Arts Center on March 22.

The performance is at 8 p.m. in the Arts Center auditorium.

AGS unites nine Canadian musicians of African descent who first connected in 2004 through a recording project sponsored by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.

CBC brought together the African-Canadian musicians for a recording that became an album called African Guitar Summit.

The album received a 2005 Juno Award, Canada’s equivalent of a Grammy in the U.S.

The compilation went to No. 1 on Apple Computer’s music service, iTunes, and still remains one of the most downloaded collections of online music.

The group’s second recording, African Guitar Summit II, was nominated for another Juno last month.

AGS has been touring Canada from coast to coast since the first recording.

A swing through Michigan this month will be the group’s first foray into the United States.

Sault Ste. Marie is the tour’s first U.S. venue.

African Guitar Summit includes Theo Boakye, balafon player Naby Camara, and Alpha YaYa Diallo from Guinea; Pa Joe and Kofi Ackah from Ghana; Adam Solomon from Kenya; Mighty Popo from Burundi and Rwanda; and Madagascar’s Donne Roberts and Madagascar Slim, from Guinea.

The members are band leaders in their own right, with many years of experience.

All of them write music and sing, but Theo Boakye has been coined by group members as the “golden voice.”

Contemporary guitar was introduced to Africa by Portuguese sailors in the early 14th century.

The continent has tradition of fretted stringed instruments, the most notable of which is called the Kora.

African-style guitar has its roots in techniques from traditional instruments.

Composed of over 50 countries, Africa supports a diverse range of musical styles.

So there is no single definitive type of African guitar music, much like there is no single definitive style of Western pop music.

The ensemble sings in up to six different languages, reflecting the countries of their origin.

Vocals are backed by guitars, balafon and percussion.

The balafon is a West African version of xylophone.

It usually has from 16 to 20 slats, with resonators below each slat.

The resonators have holes cut in them, over which cigarette paper is stretched to make a buzzing sound when each slat is struck.

The instrument probably dates from the 13th century.

Advance tickets for the performance are $12 for LSSU students, $17 general public, and can be purchased on-line at LSSU.edu.

Tickets at the door are $15 for LSSU students, $20 for general public.

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