Manding Melody

Habib Koité and Sura Susso bring Manding Melody to Lantern Hall at the Bristol Beacon on Friday 23 October. It's a West African ensemble presented by the Beacon, and the Bristol date is one stop on a short British tour that also hits Reading on 22 October and Southampton on 24 October.

The project is built around a cross-generational collaboration of musicians from Senegal, Mali and The Gambia. At its centre are Gambian kora player Sura Susso and Malian troubadour and guitarist Habib Koité, with singers, balafon, percussion and bass rounding out the ensemble. The kora, with its 21 strings, is treated as a living instrument rather than a museum piece, and the whole thing is framed as an acoustic, tradition-rooted conversation in the vein of the celebrated Ali & Toumani collaboration between Ali Farka Touré and Toumani Diabaté.

Manding Melody sets out to bring a fresh, modern take to Manding culture, which has survived a millennium and spans many tribes across the West African empire. The ensemble brings together players from across that region — Senegal, Mali and The Gambia — and works from that shared tradition. The Bristol show is for ages 14 and over, with under-18s accompanied by an adult.

Doors open at 19:30 and the music starts at 20:00. Tickets are £28, including the booking fee, and you can find them through the Bristol Beacon.