About KALABAN COURA by Quentin Dujardin

"In December 2008, after losing my bag in the flight between Casablanca & Bamako, I had no other choice than staying for a while in the capital of Mali. Waiting for my luggage, I was invited by the painter, Oumar Cisse to stay in the neighborhood of Kalaban Coura (3 miles from the airport). Living there with his family, I was playing the guitar in front of the house everyday. That's how I met up unexpectedly with guitarist-vocalist Kalil Sidy Haïdara. 

Kalil has touched me through his style very much inspired by a traditional instrument called an n’goni (small kora). The whole days we spent jamming on the streets of the Kalaban Coura neighborhood brought back memories of another meeting, dating from 2003, with the Moroccan singer-violinist in Marrakech, Jalal El Allouli: absolutely unexpected and intense. What could be more natural than to envisage bringing together our musical feelings through this new project colored with blues, sounds from the desert and, of course, guitars!" 

About STUDIO SESSIONS

Mixed at the legendary Fantasy studio in Berkeley (California), the album Kalaban Coura was produced by Lee Townsend. The live sessions performed at La Chapellle Studio capture the acoustic energy born on the street. Endless jams that saw the birth of riffs and songs backed by a grooving rhythm section. The meeting of two guitars – one nylon, the other steel-string – a voice from Bamako and a violin from the Moroccan desert are the ingredients of this disc.

Official website: www.kalabancoura.com