Trio Da Kali w/ Lost Tribe 4/8/18 Cafe 9

In the 90s, there was a band called Lost Tribe that was an amalgam of downtown scenesters that played an infectious blend of post rock, jazz, and funk. The band that opened the night's festivities was not that Lost Tribe, but a local drums and percussion-led instrumental outfit that tore it up. Guitar, bass, sax, trombone/keys, and three drummers; djembe ( the one that looks like an upside down ehrlenmeyer flask), congas, and a young African - American woman on standard drums. This group made a lot of sound and the call and response drum interplay was great. The hand speed of the djembe player was mind boggling.

Trio Da Kali come from Mali, they spoke French and absolutely no English. A young manager interpreted and joined the trio onstage playing the unusual kora. The trio consisted of baliphone, a tropical xylophone contraption that had wooden laths ( panels?) over odd looking ceramic bowls. The sound was exotic and the player was amazing. A younger man played bass ngoni, a strange stringed instrument that looked like a boat bumper with a stick and four strings. The interpreter said the bass player made his ngoni, and that it was " the only one of it's type in existence" . The last part of the trio was a young woman who had an amazing vocal range. All songs were in their native griot tongue and ranged from soft ballads to dervish rockers. These three looked like they were having so much fun. They ended the evening with an all out percussion riot pulling the three drummers from the opening band into the mix. Trio Da Kali has a recent collaboration with the omnivorous Kronos Quartet, with David Harrington likening the singers amazing voice to that of Mahalia Jackson, merci beaucoup indeed.