THE BALAFON (Pentatonic) Double DVD a method by Aly Keita and Gert Kilian

Aly Keita

Born on the Ivory Coast, but Malian by his father, Aly Keita grew up in family of griot musicians and made his first balafons when he was very young. A guarantor of traditional music, he was nevertheless very soon interested in jazz. He was initiated by the pianist Georges Makinto then played with Pharoah Sanders, Joe Zawinul, Rhoda Scott, Trilok Gurtu and Jan Garbarek. A virtuoso of the balafon, Aly Keita is also one of its foremost ambassadors.

Gert Kilian

After studying classical music, German born Gert Kilian formed the group Orexis with Georg Lawall and Trilok Gurtu. The group won the German Record Prize/Newcomer 1978.
A constant traveller, he went all over the world for musical research in Australia, Papua-New-Guinea, India, Africa and Trinidad & Tobago. This “white balafonist”, after making 16 CDs with various groups, plays today with the group LOOPING “melodic percussion” and created ”magic balafon” with Aly Keita in 2006. Author of the method Balafon Beat, he is also a teacher and regularly gives courses and conferences.

A teaching method

This method presents the techniques for playing the balafon. It proposes teaching traditional pieces to be played on one or two pentatonic balafons, as well as the marimba, xylophone or vibraphone. (Kanouzo – Boro Domborola – Djamanatigy - Fanta Mangkane and Thindoro).
Coordinated independence is studied thanks to the detailed presentation of each pattern–hand by hand, phrase by phrase. The possibility of looping and a play-along facilitate the work and make it possible to play with Aly Keita.


Length: 45 minutes. Français-English-Deutsch

Concerts

duo Aly Keita & Gert Kilian, Aly Keita solo, Super Zamaza à Konsankuy (40 mn)
Stéréo Dolby Digital – 16/9 compatible 4/3


A method proposed by Aly Keita, Gert Kilian and Philippe Nasse
Double DVD 9 – Pal – All regions

A documentary film “Heaven between the slats”

In the heart of the bush in Mali, in the little village of Konsankuy, Aly Keita returns to his roots. For the end of the year festivities, the village musicians and the group Super Zamaza, with Aly as their guest-star, play the pieces from the method on the DVD in their original context. In the Griots’ yard in the village, Youssouf and Aly Keita reveal the secrets of balafon making to us. We discover how music is part of their everyday lives. There are plenty of
musical surprises for you here!
Konsankuy




Youssouf Keita

*Directed by Philippe Nasse - Length: 47 minutes. French-English

A book



This booklet includes the scores of the pieces played on the DVD. There is also a collection of photographs, the history of the balafon and its socio-cultural environment, technical explanations and an interview with Aly Keita wiches completes this work.
Bilingual, in French and English - 98 pages.