Cello Festival ¦ Soloists ¦ Mola Sylla
Mola Sylla was born in Dakar, Senegal but has been living in Amsterdam for more than 20 years. With his groups Senemali and VeDaKi, the singer and composer has developed a completely individual ethnic style which combines Senegalese music with elements from other ethnic traditions. A musical dialogue thus takes place between the various cultures of the African continent and those of the musician’s new home in the West. Mola Sylla’s captivating music pulsates with free improvisation and spontaneity as he allows vastly different musical influences to merge. In his rough voice he sings African tribal songs and tells stories from Senegal as well as about his new home, false expectations, hopes and disappointments. He usually sings in the Senegalese tribal language of Wolof. His songs are punctuated by rousing folk rhythms which he entices with masterly technique out of African instruments that are largely unknown to us: mbira, kongloa (a lamellophone from Senegal), xalam and kalimba.
Mola Sylla makes regular appearances at jazz and world music festivals and has recorded a large number of CDs. He has spent many years working closely with the Dutch cellist Ernst Reijseger, with whom he also composed music for Werner Herzog’s film The Wild Blue Yonder (2005).
You can hear Mola Sylla together with Serigne Gueye and Ernst Reijseger on Thursday, 1 October at 10pm at Burg Kronberg.
Schlagworte: Cello-Festival, Mola Sylla, Soloists
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