Kora: Instrument of the month
A 21 string harp-lute from West Africa. It is made by a round bowl covered with a streched material as a resonator, with a notched bridge like the one in a guitar or a lute. The sound has a close resemblance to a harp, but when it’s played in the traditional West Africa style, sounds closer to a Flamenco guitar. It is played only with four fingers, thumb and index on both hands.
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Nice idea with this site its better than most of the rubbish I come across.
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[…] So, let’s start talking about Volta with the list of the professional musicians who Björk invited this time: Antony Hegarty (from Antony And The Johnsons), unfortunately he is on two tracks, in my opinion he’s the worst collaborator that she has ever chosen. Is not that Hegarty’s music is bad is just that both tracks on Volta are insipid and flat, the usual innovation level here is simply in a hidden place. I don’t really think his voice makes a match with the vocalization of the Icelandic lady. Timbaland, the famous producer who materialized the percussion section for three songs, brings back those fantastic Isobel’s tribal beats. Mark Bell, which is an extraordinary electronic producer and member of LFO, he’s guilty for the bass lines, low frequencies and strange sounds on Volta. Chris Corsano and Brian Chippendale, both outstanding drummers they complement the Volta recipe by adding a unique flavor to the beats. Toumani Diabate, which is a talented kora player from Congo who won the BBC World Music Award last year, his collaboration is one the best here. 10 piece female brass section from iceland, who helped Björk in creating the orchestration to obtain sweet and emotive chords. Min Xiao-Fen, which is a chinese pipa player, her collaboration is extraordinary and emphasizes the fact that Björk was again experimenting and looking for new sounds. […]