West Africa’s sonic trends

This installment of Sessions is another chapter in the sonic story of West Africa. It celebrates the traditional instruments of the region while demonstrating how they can be combined with contemporary instruments. Together, they build a sound that connects the West to the East and the East to the West. Through exploring these sounds, we learn about the various sonic trends present in West Africa over the past several decades. We can hear the influence these sounds have on western music, as well as the way West African musicians have interpreted and incorporated western music into their sounds.