Concert: Toumani Diabaté Symmetric Orchestra

Described as the “Jimi Hendrix of the kora,” Toumani Diabaté is an ardent experimentalist, enriching his intimate sound with the Symmetric Orchestra’s powerful, multilayered grooves. Diabaté is a master of the kora, the 21-string harp unique to Africa. The Symmetric Orchestra, Diabaté’s terrific pan-African band, includes musicians from Senegal, Guinea, Côte d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso, and Mali. All contribute to a buoyantly jubilant sound that rocked the UMass Amherst Fine Arts Center Concert Hall on Thursday, April 23, 2009 • 

Hosea, Amilcar, and I loved the music. We thank Bev and Willie Hill for the photo and the opportunity to hear and meet Brother Toumani Diabaté.

Among the many outstanding people I was blessed to meet in Waco was Vanessa Ramos,  winner of the Dobie Paisano Writing Fellowship for 2008-2009 and holder of the Jesse Jones Fellowship. A native of El Paso, Texas, she is a poet, playwright, and creative-nonfiction writer. Her awards include a Many Voices residency at the Playwrights’ Center (2006 – 2007) and a Loft Mentor Series Award in Nonfiction (2005 – 2006). Her play, Cuentos, Stories, was showcased at the Waring Jones Theater in 2007.