A treat last night as a friend invited us to a backyard concert in North Seattle to hear Pa Bobo Jobarteh, a kora player of renown from The Gambia. Accompanied by one of his local students, the two played the lilting sounds of the 23 strings of this harp-like instrument under the towering fir trees on a balmy evening.

The tumbling sound of the kora is unlike anything else, as is the construction of the instrument itself - a giant calabash stretched over with a cow skin on one open side, with a very long neck of hardwood supporting the tuning pegs of all the many strings. Brass tacks on the back of the gourd fasten the skin and also provide a decorative touch.

The tradition that Pa Bobo is continuing is grounded in his membership in a line of Mandinka griots whose roles include not just music and praise singing but also oral history telling and advising fellow tribal members.