Comments for FIRST WORLD MUSIC http://firstworldmusic.org/wordpress Every Sunday from 9PM to Midnight on 91.3 WVKR FM and wvkr.org Fri, 25 Feb 2011 01:42:06 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.2 Comment on REVIEWS by Mamadou Diabate http://firstworldmusic.org/wordpress/?page_id=45#comment-7 Mamadou Diabate Fri, 25 Feb 2011 01:42:06 +0000 http://firstworldmusic.org/wordpress/?page_id=45#comment-7 This is Brother Mamadou. I deeply appreciate your comment about my > new cd. The guy who is trying to sabbotage my new cd, his name is > John Schaefer of WNYC. He is the hiding foot soldier friend of > Banning and Sean Barlow of Afro Pop. A couple of years ago they > tried to use Bela to sabotage my musical career in this country. > Then the sabotage didn't work out. They want to do their best to put > me down in the silence. I always will stand up with my kora playing > and with my great music. I thank God you deeply know what's going > on. And again, God bless you. > > Your brother, > > Mamadou Diabate This is Brother Mamadou. I deeply appreciate your comment about my
> new cd. The guy who is trying to sabbotage my new cd, his name is
> John Schaefer of WNYC. He is the hiding foot soldier friend of
> Banning and Sean Barlow of Afro Pop. A couple of years ago they
> tried to use Bela to sabotage my musical career in this country.
> Then the sabotage didn’t work out. They want to do their best to put
> me down in the silence. I always will stand up with my kora playing
> and with my great music. I thank God you deeply know what’s going
> on. And again, God bless you.
>
> Your brother,
>
> Mamadou Diabate

]]> Comment on REVIEWS by Ken Braun http://firstworldmusic.org/wordpress/?page_id=45#comment-4 Ken Braun Mon, 21 Feb 2011 16:10:26 +0000 http://firstworldmusic.org/wordpress/?page_id=45#comment-4 Although I am not among the venerable ngaraw, I agree with Akenataa that Mamadou Diabaté is a great korafolaw. I formed that opinion the first time I met him and heard him play at Sterns Music one evening in New York in May 2000, not long after his arrival in the U.S. Since then he's gone on to play for much larger audiences at much more famous venues and to make a half-dozen highly praised CDs, and my estimation of him has risen higher and higher. Toumani Diabaté and Ballaké Cissoko have also given extraordinary concerts and made recordings that have been widely recognized as exemplary of the art of the kora. I haven't discussed their relative merits with any ngaraw or with all of the ordinary men and women who choose the winners of the Grammy awards for world music, but I think most would agree that all three artists are great korafolaw. John Schaefer is not a Grammy voter or ngaraw, but neither is he an ignorant white supremicist. That should be obvious to anyone who listens to his radio programs, in which he has presented an amazing variety of music from around the world (including, quite prominently, West Africa) with knowledge and taste for nearly 30 years. He's not an expert on every style of music he airs, and he doesn't claim to be; he's a wide-ranging enthusiast with good ears and an open mind. Akenataa, I believe you owe John Schaefer an apology. Although I am not among the venerable ngaraw, I agree with Akenataa that Mamadou Diabaté is a great korafolaw. I formed that opinion the first time I met him and heard him play at Sterns Music one evening in New York in May 2000, not long after his arrival in the U.S. Since then he’s gone on to play for much larger audiences at much more famous venues and to make a half-dozen highly praised CDs, and my estimation of him has risen higher and higher. Toumani Diabaté and Ballaké Cissoko have also given extraordinary concerts and made recordings that have been widely recognized as exemplary of the art of the kora. I haven’t discussed their relative merits with any ngaraw or with all of the ordinary men and women who choose the winners of the Grammy awards for world music, but I think most would agree that all three artists are great korafolaw.

John Schaefer is not a Grammy voter or ngaraw, but neither is he an ignorant white supremicist. That should be obvious to anyone who listens to his radio programs, in which he has presented an amazing variety of music from around the world (including, quite prominently, West Africa) with knowledge and taste for nearly 30 years. He’s not an expert on every style of music he airs, and he doesn’t claim to be; he’s a wide-ranging enthusiast with good ears and an open mind.

Akenataa, I believe you owe John Schaefer an apology.

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