801 South 48th Street (in Calvary Church), West Philadelphia
Tickets $10 - $30
Les Frères Guissé
Toucouleur folk music from Northern Senegal
“For Les Frères Guissé, there was no issue that could not be overcome, with sweet harmonies, acoustic guitars, and a faith that music and hope go hand in hand.” - Austin Chronicle
Video, tickets, and more information at crossroadsconcerts.org
Djiby, Cheik and Aliou Guissé originate from Fouta Tooro, a northern region of Senegal that is also the birthplace of the singer and guitarist Baaba Maal. Based on different rhythms of the Toucouleur people (such as the Yela, whose weak first and stressed third beat said to be the ultimate ancestor of reggae) the Guissé brothers music is universal, for all ages and races.
his music is beautiful, sensitive, and well rooted in the traditions of West Africa. Djiby’s and Cheikh’s poetic lyrics, close harmony singing, and melodic acoustic guitars are joined by Aliou’s gentle percussion and harmonica notes drifting in the wind. This trio of musical brothers comes from the Fouta region of northern Senegal. They sing in several Senegalese languages, especially Pular (Peulh), their mother tongue, which is spoken in numerous countries in the Sahel region of West Africa.
The three brothers began performing in the early 1980s, when they were still at school and Djiby joined the group Jiw Bagne (Seed of Refusal) as a singer. This group, consisting mostly of high school students, stood out for its highly-committed lyrics against the existing power structure.
Two years later, these students became the group Jamm (Peace). Cheikh joined as a back-up singer and Aliou a percussionist. They began playing in clubs, deepened their musical learning, experimented with various styles, and became part of several other groups. In 1991, Diby and Cheikh decided to launch their own group, which Alioune joined two years later and by the late 90s they had become one of Dakar’s most popular groups. They began touring and recording internationally in the early 2000s and have now performed in Africa, Europe, and America.
Click here for a video clip from their Paris concert.
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