Daouda Dembele

A griot from Segou, Mali. He plays a “jelingoini” a three-stringed lute and speaks/sings along. This is one track, 42:12 minutes long, so you probably won’t want to play the whole thing. But it’s a fascinating listening experience. He’s telling a story, and you can get from his tone and cadence where the exciting bits are. The strings jelingoini provides accents to the tale. It’s just him and his lute…the strings providing a sense of rhythm. It’s like something you might have heard 500 years ago… when storytelling was an art that helped you get through the long, dark evenings.