Sw Ravi

(Justin P. Freeman aka Ravi Ji)

Described by Songlines as "a walking testament to the success of multi-cuturalism", Ravi is a multi-instrumentalist and one of the longest established European players of the kora. His music is the result of a lifetime exploring the edges of music through songwriting, world music, overtone singing and a personal journey that has taken him from India to The Amazon. As well as over 20 CDs, international performances and workshops & the invention of the electric/stereo kora, Ravi has worked with artists such as Nigel Kennedy, Jon Lord, Phil Manzanera, Baaba Maal, Ronu Majumdar and Marlui Miranda.

The kora is a harp from West Africa made from a gourd, skin, fishing line and wood. The instrument has been played for many hundreds of years by hereditary troubadour musicians from the Mandinka tribe, playing a repertoire of traditional pieces. The last twenty years has seen this instrument brought from its traditional musical setting into new fusion projects by traditional kora players such as Toumani Djabate and Fode Masa Suso.

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