Alhaji Bai Konte

Who is Alhaji Bai Konte?

Alhaji Bai Konte was a hereditary jali from Brikama, the Gambia, born into a family whose kora-playing lineage traced back to Kaabu in the Kankaba region of what is now Mali. His father, Burama Konte, was himself a celebrated kora player who composed pieces still performed in the tradition, and Bai Konte grew up steeped in the griot craft of preserving history and genealogy through music. He mastered the twenty-one-string kora and is widely credited as the first kora player to tour the United States as a solo performer, appearing at the 1973 Newport Jazz Festival and helping introduce the instrument to international audiences. Alongside his musical vocation he followed his father's religious path as a Marabout, a Muslim spiritual and Koranic adviser, spending much of his time studying and teaching the Koran. In 1979 he recorded the acclaimed album "Gambian Griot Kora Duets" for Smithsonian Folkways with his son Dembo Konte and Ma Lamini Jobate, a recording that helped spark lasting international interest in Gambian kora music.

Sources: Wikipedia, "Bai Konte" · Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, "Gambian Griot Kora Duets" liner notes · AccessGambia, "Alhaji Bai Konte (Musician)"