David Dalle
Thursday May 9th, 2024 with David Dalle
Guitarist Derek Gripper joins me in studio to talk about his current tour, his new album with kora master Ballaké Sissoko, his concert tonight in Ottawa, and to play a few tunes!
Today we welcome South African guitarist Derek Gripper who joins me in studio to talk about his current tour, his new album with kora master Ballaké Sissoko, his concert tonight in Ottawa, and to play a few tunes! Derek Gripper has had an extraordinary winding career as a musician, starting his education on the classical violin. Later, he picked up the classical guitar. Gripper began playing bass guitar in a band, where he met the Indian percussionist Sivamani who invited him to India, where Gripper spent some time learning Carnatic music. After his trip to India, he wanted to focus on the classical guitar and explore and stretch its capabilities. He had an eight string guitar made with a removable fretboards, so fretboards with different tunings could be easily switched in. He pursued different music and music theory. In 2011, this all led him to the kora music of Toumani Diabaté. Gripper's perspective change and he saw Diabaté as a composer as well as the famed musician and heir to generations of musicians. He developed a technique to perform Diabaté's kora music on guitar and transcribed his recordings into scores. He recorded his first album of Diabaté's music in 2012. In 2016, he was invited by Toumani Diabaté to visit Mali where he played with him and experienced firsthand the tradition and way Griots approached and passed on their repertoire. He has just released a new album with Ballaké Sissoko.
Playing tonight at the Kailash Mital theatre at Carleton University!
https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/derek-gripper-live-in-ottawa-kailash-mital-theatre-tickets-874104358667
Derek Gripper's brand new album with Ballaké Sissoko:
https://newcape.bandcamp.com/album/ballak-sissoko-and-derek-gripper
| Speaking with Derek Gripper |
| Kaira Derek Gripper - One Night On Earth: Music from the Strings of Mali - Matsuli |
| Ninkoy Ballake Sissoko & Derek Gripper - Ballake Sissoko & Derek Gripper - Matsuli 
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| We hear Ballaké's recording of his piece Maimouna which Derek played live today. |
| Maimouna Ballake Sissoko - At Peace - No Format |
| The next two pieces are from two albums mentioned by Derek. The first, a quartet, is surely unique in its instrumentation of kora, cello, soprano saxophone, and accordion! The second is the wonderful Italian pianist and composer Ludovico Einaudi's album with Ballaké. Without a question, a beautiful album, but it is Einaudi's distinctive piano with kora accompaniment, even with Ballaké's compositions. |
| Nomad's Sky Sissoko, Segal, Parisien, Peirani - Les Égarés - No Format |
| Mali Sajio Ballake Sissoko & Ludovico Einaudi - Diario Mali - Ponderosa |
| This stunning piece by Ballaké really reminds me of one of my absolute favourite songs by Salif Keita. They both have an abrupt and significant change more than halfway through the piece, suddenly turning a "merely" beautiful song into a transcendent one! The melody in both transcendent sections are very similar as well! |
| Nan Sira Madi Ballake Sissoko - A Touma - No Format |
| Laban Salif Keita - M'Bemba - Universal |
| The brand new release from Tuareg electric guitarist Mdou Moctar! He shreds! He rocks! This is an angry album, full of protest. The guitar has become a global instrument in the last century, but truly, most of the best guitar is from Africa! We will hear a lot more African guitar in this set. |
| Imouhar Mdou Moctar - Funeral For Justice - Matador |
| Takoba Mdou Moctar - Funeral For Justice - Matador |
| Dalaka Leon Keita - Leon Keita (Limited Dance Edition Vol. 16) - Analog Africa |
| From Derek Gripper's own description of his freely arranged Bach--the first cello suite (with prologue and epilogue):
This record was made in Cape Town in a single take, a non-stop performance of the six dances of the first cello suite by J.S.Bach, while listening closely to Guy Buttery's tanpura which he recorded on his farm in the Midlands of Kwazulu Natal. I have long felt that Bach's solo violin and cello music is monophonic. Which means it is played from a single tonal centre...ie can be heard against a drone. It may explore different regions of that original tone, like a classical Indian musician would explore the raag in the introductory alap of a classical performance, but the return is always straight back home. AUM. This recording is the closest I have come to showing this to people in musical form. Arguments are odious. Music tells all. https://newcape.bandcamp.com/album/lost-time-bachs-first-cello-suite |
| Suite no. 1 in G BWV1009 with prologue and epilogue Johann Sebastien Bach freely arranged by Derek Gripper/Derek Gripper - Lost Time - Bach's First Cello Suite - Derek Gripper
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| Matadjem Yinmixan Tinariwen - Aman Iman - Outside |
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I always liked Hurdy Gurdy Man too, David.I was rooting for that one when Doug said he would try to fit in a Donovan tune. Looking forward to your show, David; music for me to garden to outside where my trusty rusty ghetto blaster radio captures the Mighty 93 airwaves. So bring it on, maestro!!!
2:05 PM, May 9th, 2024