The theatre space at Queensland Multicultural Centre, BEMAC, took off last month as the Kone Express left the station with two thirds of the audience on the dance floor, glowing and grinning in sheer delight at the exuberance of the performance.
Bassidi Kone is a young man from Mali, who travels the world but manages to maintain an Australian outfit that play as the Kone Express whenever he is in town. Right now they are touring the country to take this infectious musical hybrid into the regions in a combination of workshops and performances.
Kone Express is a fusion of Western and African music with a beautiful tension between the structured rhythm of a drums, bass, guitar, keyboards and horns combo and the jembe, Balaphon and variety of drums from the three Africans on stage.
The fusion goes all the way through the performance weaving variable African rhythms through and over the square framework of the Western music. That gave the audience plenty of opportunity to dance wildly and wonderfully. Well that’s the way I like to think I looked.
Don’t rely on the fact that I had a great time, check out Kone Express on YouTube and form your own opinion. Even better, watch out for the dates in June and July and get yourself along for a night on the tiles. Just make sure you have your dancing shoes on and are ready to bust your best moves.
You will get plenty of opportunity.
Bassidi Kone is leading rhythm workshops at Kurilpa Hall in West End on Saturday June 29th
