Yousssoupha Sidibe (West African Kora Music)

The music of Youssoupha Sidibe is deeply infused with a longing for the full realization of divine love in this world. Youssoupha’s musical career began over twenty years ago in his home of Senegal, West Africa, where he was trained as a Kora player at the National Music Conservatory of Senegal. His music fuses traditional West African sounds on the Kora, with the Sufi devotional chanting of the Senegalese Baay Faal community. The angelic sounds of the Kora, an indigenous harp, soulfully carry Youssoupha’s devotional lyrics sung in Wolof, Arabic, French and English. Since his arrival on the international music circuit, Youssoupha has recorded, performed, and/or collaborated with artists such as India Arie, Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, Charles Neville, Future Man, Michael Franti and Spearhead, and Matisyahu. His latest collaboration, “Shalom/Salaam”, was with artist Matisyahu, on the album entitled “Youth”. “Youth” also contains an additional track, “Ancient Lullaby”, which features Youssoupha on Kora. Rolling Stone Magazine picked “Shalom/Salaam” as one of the two “key tracks” on the album. Since it’s release, “Youth” has gone Gold, and in January 2007, the album was nominated for a Grammy award for best reggae album of the year. Youssoupha’s music has served to invoke the divine through Sufi sound in the presence of many large and diverse groups of people. Youssoupha has performed, recorded, and led healing music workshops throughout the United States, Europe, and Africa. He has graced the stages of many notable venues such as Reggae on the River, Manhattan Center, Earthdance World Peace Festival, The Warfield Theatre, and many more. His music is inspiring and empowering for people of all ages. The sound of the Kora beautifully blends with the powerful human emotion and faith that Youssoupha embodies. Sacred Sound brings a new dimension to the celebration of the human experience.