Music response

The Mande people are a collection of ethnic cultures in West Africa. Its population as of 2013 was over thirty million people. The Mande people are found in many different places throughout West Africa and as a result, speak many different languages. The word Jali means musician to the Mande people. The song, sung by Kunye Saho, “Ali L’a Ke” is sang quite differently in the first version, than it is in the second. While the melodies of both songs are relatively similar, the tempo of the first video is faster than that of the second video at some points of the song. What I found interesting about this song is that at about (0:35) the singer or Jali deepens his voice to a hum, which reminded me of throat singing or xoomei as the Tuvans would say. While the first hum lasted only about two seconds, as you move throughout the song you will hear the artist continue to make similar sounds (1:21–1:43). The rhythm and fast tempo of “Ali L’a Ke” immediately catches the listener’s attention as I found it rather hard not to move along with the song while listening to it. While the second recording also invokes a similar behavior within me, the two songs are relatively different. The instrument is the same, and the melody is relatively the same however the feeling the second song conjures is completely different. The two recordings are an example of the change in folk songs over time. The same song is approached in a different manner, most likely as a result of two diverse memories and as a result it creates two songs that are similar but also completely different. In this recording you have a Jali of the Mande culture singing a song that is widely known throughout the Mande culture using a kora, their most popular instrument, and through his own memories, experiences and creative choices a relatively new song is developed.