On October 13 - 2011, Goetze and Cissoko will appear at Culturehub in NYC, in the debut performance of their Mande Symphony, a multi-media event that will feature the duo along with a string quartet, the much lauded Richie Barshay (Chick Corea, Esperanza Spaulding) on drums, and computer-modulated video created by visualist Joshue Ott.
The Mande Symphony tells the legendary story of a Mande griot, Kimmintang CIssoko, from the time he prayed that he could help alleviate the suffering of his people through his encounters with African spirits and genies that ultimately led him to create the African kora.
Mandinka, the language of the Mande people, is a tonal language, making it ideal for musical adaption. The tonal sound provides a base for notated, rhythmic sound that provokes improvisational passages from the orchestra.
During the performance, sampled speech and music will be sent to a computer, where Joshue Ott will modulate their effect on stunning visuals from South Africa, in real time. Ott creates ...
