HACKETTSTOWN, NJ, (Warren County) — Centenary Stage Company’s Winter Thaw Festival of concerts will end the series with a performance from Diali Cissokho & Kaira Ba on Feb. 3 at 8:00 p.m.
Bandleader Diali Cissokho chose the name “Kaira Ba” (meaning “The Great Peace”) because it reflects a core value that he and his band aim to express when they perform. Kaira Ba explores the spiritual songs, stories, and rhythms of Senegal’s millennia-old Mandé culture. Diali Cissokho & Kaira Ba blend the traditions and rhythms of West African music with subtle timbres of the American South. In essence, they make dance music that bridges the continental divide.
Cissokho comes from a long line of prominent hereditary griots – people who are entrusted to maintain a West African village’s genealogies and important ceremonial affairs through song. But he is much more than a preservationist. Cissokho and his band strive to integrate the traditional sounds of the kora, the 22-stringed bridge-harp, with a modern rush of electric guitar and rhythm section.
The full 7-piece band is composed of Senegalese artists Diali Keba Cissokho (vocals and kora) and Tabou Diop (vocals and guitar), and North Carolina artists Jason Lentz (electric guitar), Peter Kimosh (bass), Joe MacPhail (keyboards), Austin McCall (drums), and Will Ridenour (percussion).
The band formed in North Carolina in January of 2011, shortly after Cissokho’s immigration to the US. Kaira Ba has produced three full length albums, toured extensively in the US, and traveled twice as a band to Senegal. In 2014, Kaira Ba was nominated for the prestigious continent-wide All Africa Music Award (AFRIMA) in the category “Best African Group” for their album “The Great Peace”.
In 2018, the band released its most ambitious album to date, “Routes”, which was recorded alongside a broad cast of guests in both North Carolina and Senegal. The album was met with critical acclaim upon its releases, being favorably reviewed by Afropop Worldwide, The Financial Times, OkayAfrica, the famed rock critic Robert Christgau for Noisey/Vice, and Songlines who wrote, “This album is up there with the groundbreaking recordings of Thione Seck, Baaba Maal and Youssou N’Dour.” Kaira Ba has performed and taught at Universities, appeared in front of festival audiences and shared stages with some of Africa’s most prominent international artists, including Angélique Kidjo, Vieux Farka Touré, and the late Khaira Arby.
In all its work, Kaira Ba is committed to sharing its story and music in the name of cross-cultural learning, believing that music has the power to transgress borders and serve as an important resource for education, restoration and healing.
The concert from Diali Cissokho & Kaira Ba will take on Saturday, Feb. 3 at 8:00 p.m. in the Sitnik Theatre of the Lackland Performing Arts Center located on the campus of Centenary University at 715 Grand Avenue, Hackettstown, NJ. Ticket prices are $25.00 for adults and $15.00 for students and children under 12.
For more information, or to purchase tickets, visit centenarystageco.org or call the Centenary Stage Company box office at 908-979-0900. The Centenary Stage Company box office is open Monday through Friday from 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. and two hours prior to performances. The box office is located in the Lackland Performing Arts Center on the campus of Centenary University at 715 Grand Ave. Hackettstown.
