WESTERN FRONT – Talk by Sona Jobarteh with Julia Úlehla

Description:

As part of the Vancouver International Jazz Festival, Western Front hosted Gambian multi-instrumentalist, singer, and composer Sona Jobarteh for a talk in the Grand Luxe Hall. Following an introduction by Kevin McNeilly from the International Institute for Critical Studies in Improvisation, Jobarteh was joined in conversation with guitarist Eric Appapoulay, and vocalist, composer, and ethnomusicologist Julia Úlehla, who moderated the talk. Recognized as the the first professional female kora player from a West African griot family, Jobarteh discussed her practice, and with accompaniment by Appapoulay, demonstrated the twenty-one stringed instrument that combines features of the lute and harp.

Presented in partnership with Coastal Jazz & Blues Society and the International Institute for Critical Studies in Improvisation at the University of British Columbia with the support of the Government of Canada and SOCAN Foundation.

Sona Jobarteh and Eric Appapoulay play acoustic guitar while seated in the Grand Luxe Hall. Various guitar pedals are arranged on the carpet, and Sona’s kora is positioned in a stand to her right.

Sona Jobarteh and Eric Appapoulay sit with acoustic guitars in the Grand Luxe Hall. Sona points towards Eric, who smiles back in her direction.

Sona Jobarteh smiles towards Eric Appapoulay, who sits with his back to the camera. Sona wears her hair in braids, and is dressed in a black shirt with a blue pattern, blue jeans, beaded earrings, and a beaded cuff bracelet.

Smiling, Sona Jobarteh sits with her kora between her knees. She wears her hair in braids, and is dressed in a black shirt with a blue pattern, blue jeans, beaded earrings, and a beaded cuff bracelet. A red patterned scarf is wrapped around the neck of her instrument. A number of plastic water bottles, a thermos, and various cables are arranged on the carpet around Sona’s chair.

Sona Jobarteh plays kora with her eyes closed. She wears her hair in braids, and is dressed in a black shirt with a blue pattern, beaded earrings, and a beaded cuff bracelet. A microphone is pointed towards her.

Captions:

Talk by Sona Jobarteh with Julia Úlehla, video documentation, Jun 27, 2023. 1 hr. 45 min. 39 sec. Camera by Qiuli Wu.
Sona Jobarteh and Eric Appapoulay at Western Front, Jun 27, 2023. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
Sona Jobarteh and Eric Appapoulay at Western Front, Jun 27, 2023. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
Julia Úlehla, Sona Jobarteh, and Eric Appapoulay at Western Front, Jun 27, 2023. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
Sona Jobarteh at Western Front, Jun 27, 2023. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
Sona Jobarteh at Western Front, Jun 27, 2023. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
Sona Jobarteh at Western Front, Jun 27, 2023. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
Sona Jobarteh at Western Front, Jun 27, 2023. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.

Western Front is a non-profit artist-run centre in Vancouver.

We acknowledge the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and səl̓ílwətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations as traditional owners of the land upon which Western Front stands.