Yan Kuba Saho and Daniel Janke

Yan Kuba Saho, a Mandinka griot (that is, a praise singer) and Daniel Janke, a Canadian composer and producer (that is, he twiddles knobs, eh?) are combining their vast musical knowledge at the Edmonton Folk Music Festival this year. The focal point of their performance, the kora, is a stringed, gourded instrument comparable to a lute. It has been used by griots in West Africa (including Gambia, where Yan Kuba Saho hails from) for centuries. Yan himself has been playing since he was 10 years old, when he studied the traditional nomadic way of the Mandinka griot. Since then, he has become a teacher, a highly respected musician and a community treasure, as well as a touring act. He has performed in Europe, the United States and Canada, and his first CD has just been released on the U.S. Music of the World label's Latitude series. Appearing with Yan Kuba Saho is Daniel Janke, who splits his time between Whitehorse and Toronto. He composes music for films, produces albums and has just released his own, entitled In A Room. Here, he weaves elements of blues, jazz, folk and African rhythms into an interpretive, innovative style. He learned how to play kora from Yan Kuba Saho, as well as from the late Jali Nyama Suso. In turn, Daniel produced the recordings for Saho's CD release.

  -- LG