Arts This Week: Cheick Hamala Diabaté and Corey Harris at The Front Porch
By Ben Larsen
Podcast:
*Due to inclimate weather, this event has been rescheduled to Saturday March 7th at 8pm*
On Saturday, March 7th, from 8 – 10 p.m., join Cheick Hamala Diabate and Corey Harris at The Front Porch for live concert benefiting Cheick’s music school in Mali. This concert has been rescheduled from it’s original date of January 24th, due to inclement weather.
Transcript:
Ben Larsen:
You’re listening to WTJU Charlottesville. The Front Porch is hosting a fundraiser concert with the Cheick Hamala Diabaté Band and Corey Harris. For Arts This Week we spoke with Kevin Munro.
Kevin Munro:
My name is Kevin Munro, and I host the West African drum circle every Saturday. Cheick is from Mali, which is in West Africa, and he and many other artists are concerned about the traditional music. I witnessed it myself when I went to Guinea to study some drumming that the young people are interested in other things. And so Cheick, he’s trying to start a cultural music school in Mali. So he’ll be coming down. He has a fairly large band. I think they’re going to be three musicians with him. Corey is going to sit in with them, and he’s asked some of we lay people to maybe participate in a couple. But Corey has known Cheick for a long time. I mean, I moved here in 96 and Shek was very involved as a collaborator with Corey and with Baaba Seth, which was kind of an Afro beat group back in the back in the day. I’m dating myself, but no, he’s a treasure. He’s a wonderful soul, and on top of that, he’s really good musician.
Ben Larsen:
Can you tell us more about this weekly drum circle that you host?
Kevin Munro:
Every week we have a drum circle. We kind of rotation, long time drummer locally Darrell rose, he hosts the first one of each month, and then I host second, third and fourth, and then Jennifer Borishansky, who’s also teaches locally, if there’s a fifth Saturday, she’ll host that one. It’s 11 to 12:30 every Saturday, it’s completely free. There are loaner drums on hand, and it’s just an opportunity to get together with your neighbors and create some music.
Ben Larsen:
The event will take place downtown at the Front Porch’s Water Street location, Saturday at 8pm. Tickets and information can be found at frontporchcville.org. Arts This Week is supported by the UVA Arts Council and Piedmont Virginia Community College. PVCC Arts presents a rich array of dance music, theater and visual arts programming. Learn more@pvcc.edu. For WTJU, this is Ben Larsen.
