Kane Mathis/Andrew Oliver Duo
Kane Mathis – kora, vocals
Andrew Oliver – piano
Bringing together the unlikely combination of Kora and Piano, Kane Mathis and Andrew Oliver interpret both traditional West African music of the Mandinka people and original compositions, using the wide range of both instruments to create a full sound that is both dense and transparent. Kane is a world-class performer on the 21-stringed kora, a traditional West African harp, having rigorously studied the instrument with master musicians in the Gambia for over a decade. His training in both African and Western music allows him to authentically interpret traditional repertoire and bring new stylistic elements to the kora with equal ease. Andrew’s thorough study of Mandinka music has enabled him to develop a piano style which blends seamlessly with the kora, creating a unique orchestral texture. The duo’s arrangements incorporate traditional and modern African repertoire and breaks as well as jazz elements stemming from Andrew’s musical training in New Orleans.
The duo was formed in 2008 after Kane and Andrew began to work together in the five-piece Kora Band, which was formed by Andrew after he travelled to West Africa in 2007 as a cultural ambassador with the U.S. State Department’s Rhythm Road: American Music Abroad program. The Kora Band is now one of the busiest world music ensembles in the Northwest, frequently performing at major venues and festivals in Washington and Oregon. Their second album “Cascades,” released in 2010 on OA2 Records peaked at #12 on the U.S. World Music Airplay charts and #22 on the JazzWeek Radio charts. Kane and Andrew began to perform as a duo to further their unique fusion of these two orchestral instruments and allow for further exploration of the resulting texture.
Kane and Andrew frequently add guests to their duo performances for added texture, often featuring Mark DiFlorio or Kevin Van Geem on calabash drum or Sam Weng on bolon. This adds an engaging and uplifting rhythmic element to the performance, and is also a lot of fun for the audience and performers!
Press
“Mathis’ and Oliver’s duets blended together so seamlessly, it sounded as if one giant 109 stringed harp was being played by a four armed musician; not being able to see who was doing what almost made it more interesting.” – Seattle Weekly
“Kane has developed a remarkable mastery of Mande music. […] His sound is both authentic and spontaneous, good enough to sound like an insider, but relaxed and personal enough to be far more than polished mimicry. It is rare indeed for a non-African to reach this level in any African tradition, particularly such a subtle and demanding one.” – Banning Eyre, senior editor, Afropop Worldwide
“…cerebral enough to form complex interplay between the traditional okra sounds and modern piano sounds…being able to fuse the musics into something that is at once modern, thoughtful jazz and innovations upon traditional music.” – Adam Greenburg, All Music Guide
Audio
[click to listen]
Andrew and Kane live on KEXP, 2009:
From “Cascades” (2010) by the Kora Band, with Mark DiFlorio on calabash:
Serefu Sidi (excerpt)
Live at Alberta Street Public House, Portland, 2010, with Kevin Van Geem on calabash and Robby Rothschild on djembe:
Kaira (excerpt)