Surahata "Sura" Susso is a name to watch in 2012. The son of Mamudou Susso, one of the finest living kora players, and Fatou Binta Cissokho, who was a gifted singer and percussionist, it is no surprise that this young man has talent. Sura performed as a percussionist on the album The Silimbo Passage (Compare Prices)with his elder brother Seckou Keita's quintet, and steps out now with the release of his debut CD, Sila Kang (available at most digital outlets). On a first hearing this is simple, folk-like music. He makes his variation of traditional West African songs on the CD while interspersing them with his own compositions. The music is acoustic and spare with the sound of kora, percussion and vocals. The kora is a lute-like instrument with a calabash gourd at its base and, typically, 21 strings positioned on either side on a long wooden rod (Susso's kora has 22 strings). The strings are plucked with thumb and fingers by the musician. Beginning with a bass-line, a kora player will introduce a traditional song or accompaniment over which they will then improvise. Sura's virtuosity as a performer and his heartfelt expression pervade this CD.
Dorothy Johnson-Laird: How did your father inspire you musically?
Sura Susso: He was the first kora player I ever heard. He was a key musician in the group Ifang Bondi, in Gambia. Just the sound was lovely. Their music was a guide, but ultimately you create your sound, your feeling, your atmosphere.
Ifang Bondi came to prominence in Gambia, West Africa, in the nineteen seventies and still perform today. Their music incorporates traditional Senegambian melodies and instruments (kora, balafon, riti) into modern rock sounds.
How do you, as the son of a griot, learn music from your father?
Griots are the oral carriers of tradition and sharers of history in West Africa. These storytellers and musicians hold a spiritual power in their community.
Well, he wasn't always at home, as a griot he had responsibilities, he had to perform for ceremonies. He was doing his mission. He was a 'messenger' if you like. But the kora was always in the home. He would allow me to play it. I did not learn by reading music, but from listening to cassettes from Senegal and Guinea. I learnt not only from my dad, but from my uncle, my grandfather.
Then you came to England at age 17.
Sura was invited to England to perform with his elder brother Seckou Keita, also a talented kora musician and composer. Since then, he has toured with the Seckou Keita Quintet.
Yes, I was in the middle of my studies. I thought it was just for a six months contract, but the contract kept getting extended. He needed a percussionist. I ended up staying.
Is Seckou proud of you?
Well he would never say directly how proud he is, that's just not done, because the fear is the person would get a big head. But when I released my album, he came up on stage to play, and you know I could tell.
You've collaborated with several musicians from different genres, including the classical violinist Max Baillie. Do you find playing in different genres stretches you as a musician?
Yes I've played with Erick Truffaz (French jazz trumpeter) and Rokia Traore (Malian singer, songwriter, and guitarist). It is not something I would immediately see, other people would see how it has stretched me. But playing with a classical orchestra, that's going to influence you musically. Everything I hear is an influence.
The CD is called Sila Kang. What do those words mean?
They mean 'on the road,' because as musicians we gig here and there. They mean that this is the beginning of my musical journey, my creation. On "Chorobai Samba," we have three different languages on one track. Pete Bernard sings in English, my sister, Binta Suso, sings in Madinka and I sing in Wolof.
The brother and sister's voices are attuned to one another. They work well together with the lulling sound of the calabash and kora underneath. The track carries a steady, insistent rhythm, propelling the listener forward.
Was it a deliberate choice to use three different languages, two of which are West African?
Yes, the chorus is an old Wolof song named "Chorobai Samba." This is a song known to all Gambian people, so of all the songs on the album, this one is loved most by the Gambian people, they really relate to that chorus. It's actually a love song, about a girl who will not marry a poor boy. But she is poor herself, her mother eats porridge for dinner. It is a song of advice and wisdom for that girl, not to marry for superficial reasons, but to marry for love.
The Fulani flute is a distinct instrument on this CD. It is made from the vine of the forests in Guinea and typifies the music of the Fulani people, an ethnic group found throughout West Africa. The flute conveys meaning, comparable to how the drum often talks in African music.
We were trying the flute out at first, to see if it would work. I met this guy Baba Galleh Kante in London and I was blown away by his music. He heard me playing the traditional song "Jula Jekere" (I renamed it "Julolo Flute") and he told me he loves this song.
The Calabash is a beautiful, deep sounding drum that you play. Can you describe it for those who may not know it?
It's a fruit that grows on a tree, a bit like a pumpkin and they use it when it has dried up. They cut it in half. It is used as the base of the kora, which is made out of strings and most often cow skin. But the calabash is considered to be a women's instrument. They dance with it. They play and sometimes put it in water, to drum it. My mother played it too.
I don't remember hearing you sing before. You have a beautiful voice.
I started singing recently, because I felt like it. Before I was playing the kora, but never a singer, a band leader. I was too shy to sing. When I first came to England, I was not a singer. I didn't feel comfortable. I didn't want to kill the sound with my voice.
Your sister, Binta Suso, has this great, powerful voice. I hear her voice throughout this CD. Does she inspire you musically?
Yes, she's gifted, and yes, she inspired me. I love singing with her. My friends and family in the Gambia had never heard me sing before. They were like who is this singing? I am thinking about taking some vocal training classes now, practicing, trying with the voice, seeing where it takes me. This is just a beginning.
Are there any future plans?
I am working on a new album, primarily with the pianist Pete Bernard, look for that in 2012.
Finally, this is truly music that comes from the heart. Can you speak about that?
The kora has always been a part of me. It's been my best friend since I was a baby. I have grown close to it, connected. All my intelligence, everything I know goes into the kora. I am sometimes more comfortable with the kora than with human beings. It's where I find expression. I can do whatever I want to do. Yes, the music comes from the heart, from what's inside you.
