Sona Jobarteh is a multitalented, leading vocalist and instrumentalist from The Gambia. Whilst Jobarteh was born in London, with a Gambian father and English mother, she now mainly resides in The Gambia. Jobarteh is West Africa’s first female griot kora virtuoso. On Sona’s Gambian side of the family – her father’s side – is one of the five principal kora-playing griot families of West Africa.  I highly recommend anyone new to West African music to learn about what a griot is. A griot, also known as a ‘Jeli’ is a West African musician who through their music is also a historian, storyteller, genealogist, spokesperson for their village, clan, and tribe and much more. In coming to a concert by Jobarteh, it is important to understand the relevance of a griot and their role within culture as a teacher and imparter of knowledge. I once read an article by Robin Denselow, of The Guardian, who completely misunderstood the role of a griot and complained that Jobarteh talked too much during the concert. This interaction with the audience is pivotal and was accepted warmly by tonight’s multicultural audience.

Sona Jobarteh and her band return to London after a long pause due to the pandemic, and the first night was a sell-out crowd at ‘Milton Court Concert Hall’. Milton Court Concert Hall is located within the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and is a 2-minute walk from the Barbican Centre’s entrance on Silk Street. The concert forms part of the Barbican’s music programme, and The Barbican promotes a number of concerts there each year.

The venue is a superb venue, acoustically speaking, for musical concerts. The seating is comfortable, suits people of all sizes and there is plenty of leg room. The staff are helpful and welcoming to guests. For anyone attending, take the time to use the cloakroom on level -1, which is free. It should be noted that a lot of London theatres do charge a cloakroom fee, so get there in good time and make the most of this freebee.

The show was superb and well deserved the standing ovation at the end. The music itself can be described as a blend of traditional West African music, blues with strong undertones of jazz and Afropop. Sona comes on playing the Kora, a type of African harp. Immediately, you can tell the high levels of skill Jobarteh has, since she has played the kora since the age of three, at first taught by her brother Tunde Jegede and her dad Sanjally Jobarteh.

The family tradition is passed down to Jobarteh’s 14-year-old son, Sidiki, and 9-year-old daughter, Saadio, who both later during the performance join the band to play along. Sidiki played the balafon, an African instrument much like a xylophone, whilst Saadio played percussion. Sona’s band was outstanding. The instruments themselves seemed to be having a dialogue with each other. There was elements of humour in the exchanges between instruments as if we were witnessing the music itself having a discussion.

Sona also takes a few pauses and talks directly to the audience about how in 2015, she opened The Gambia Academy in a coastal town called Kartong and the importance of the academy in teaching music, traditions, and languages alongside modern subjects. It’s obvious that Sona’s other passion is educational reform in The Gambia, which sits well with her role as a griot.

I highly recommend all music lovers to see a show by Sona Jobarteh and her band. Whatever your preferred genre, her music will captivate and get you moving in your seat, and some were up and dancing in the isles tonight.

https://sonajobarteh.com