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Ultimate Blues
African Strings Sing at Nighttown
The first time jazz guitarist Leni Stern picked up a ngoni, she knew she was on to something special. "I kept feeling like I had the ultimate blues instrument in my hands," she says of the African folk instrument — a precursor to the banjo — that she encountered in a hotel room in Mali. Seven years later, the result is Sabani, Stern's soon-to-be-released album that captures the sound of every string, the pulse of every calabash, and the bounce of every drumbeat that lies at the heart of Malian music. Together with a trio of African percussion masters, the German-born, Berklee-trained, multi-award-winning guitarist makes her debut at Nighttown this evening in support of the recording. Expect to hear thoughtful songs, dynamic instrumentation, and catchy dialogue between traditions as Stern and her cohorts perform a genre-bending collection of bluesy, folksy, African-inspired music. "After all my time in Africa, all the musicians I've gotten to work with, I feel like a different person," Stern says. "I don't think anyone can go and live there without changing profoundly. And we have a lot to learn from Africa." The lesson continues tonight at 7 p.m. Reserve your spot at the number below
02/08/12
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