Seckou Keita

His dazzling virtuosity has taken him around the world, leading to collaborations with countless artists and creating connections to folk and jazz. Yet the heart of his work has always remained solo performance, as it was once cultivated at royal courts. At the Elbphilharmonie, Keita presents music from his album »22 Strings«. These are delicate, contemplative compositions whose repeating phrases create a hypnotic effect before unfolding into songs in which Keita sings himself or builds towards irresistibly funky and virtuosic rhythms.

The album’s title refers to a special story: centuries ago, when the djinns, the spirits of the African bush, gave the very first kora with 22 strings to the griot Jali Mady. After his death, fellow griots removed one string in his memory. In Keita’s home region of southern Senegal, however, the 22-string kora survived. For Keita, that additional string has become a symbol of home: the place where his heart belongs.