Saileu Suso
Mahamadou Salieu Suso, who answers to the name, Salieu Suso, is an expert kora player, singer, recording artist, genealogist and storyteller who was born and raised in Gambia, West Africa. He is a traditional Mandinka Griot who was born into a family of farmers and traditional African jalis that extends back nearly 1000 years. African jalis are musicians, historians and storytellers.
From childhood into young adulthood, Salieu was mostly homeschooled by his parents who were historians in their own right. An important aspect of homeschooling was learning about genealogy, the study of family history. In essence, it was critical to learn about family lineage of the kings and the inheritances of the kingdom. This way, one was best equipped to entertain the royal family by knowing information about any given king of a particular region who became an heir to the throne.
Salieu’s father, the renowned Alhaji Musa Makang Suso, a kora player himself, taught Salieu when he was eight years old how to play the traditional 21-stringed kora, also known as the West African Harp. It should be noted, that Salieu’s father was recognized was a descendant of JaliMady Wulayn Suso, the originator of the Kora instrument. At age 15, Salieu began his professional musical career. During his years into young adulthood, Salieu learnt about life, humanitarianism, academics, playing instruments, singing, and storytelling from his parents. This was done as his parents traveled from village to village, to promote and teach other villagers about their own culture, and traditional instruments. Some of these instruments were the contino, balaphone, dundunba, and the kora. This literal journey afforded Salieu the opportunity to learn about his culture first-hand, as his parents passed this knowledge to him and others. He fluently speaks English, Mandigo, Fula, Wolof, Sarahuli, and some German although not fluently.
In 1989, Salieu’s first visit to the United States was for business. It was during this trip that Salieu’s brother-in-law introduced him to Papa Lagi Camarah, the director of the Ballet African Dance group and an elder who at that time was established in the United States since 1957. In 1990, Papa Lagi invited Salieu to an audition to play the kora, and this laid the foundation for Salieu’s musical career in the United States. Salieu stayed for two years while he performed with Papa Lagi’s Ballet African Dance group as a musician - the kora player, before heading back to Gambia. Later in 1997, from much urging by Papa Lagi, Salieu returned to the United States and this time, it was permanently.
Since migrating in 1997, Salieu has been earning his living by mostly playing the kora. In 1998, he formed the group, Jaliya Kafo, an extended family Music Ensemble which is one of the nation’s leading groups that is rapidly growing on African music scene. Also, in 1998, he established the Jali Kunda School of Music, where he offers kora lessons to children and adults from diverse backgrounds. As a solo performer, he has traveled around the United States to New York’s five boroughs: Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, Staten Island, and the Bronx, to Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, Arizona, California, Chicago, New Jersey, Rhode Island and Albany. His international travels have taken him to widely tours of Africa and Europe.
Salieu has had the opportunity to collaborate with many great performing artists. In 2001, one of Salieu’s songs, Sidi Yellah was featured on the album Badenya: Manden Jaliya in New York City, a compilation of Manden and Mandinka Music by musicians in New York City. This was done by the Smithsonian Folkways Recordings. In 2003, he ventured into an exciting exploration of African and Afro-Cuban rhythms with three master percussionists: Benny Arocho, who plays the bata, bugarrabu, and the thaiklongyaw; Olympia Ward who plays the chekere, conga, and djembe; and John Ward who plays the djembe.
Salieu has also collaborated with Bronx Arts Council, Brooklyn Arts Council, the Guyana Cultural Association of New York, Inc. with his Ensemble, Jaliya Kafo; the African Immigrant Association of New York, and African American Kwanza Celebration group.
Salieu has been a recording artist since 1992, when he recorded his first album, Creole. Other recordings are Sudu Kon (which is disco style) done in 1996; the soundtrack for documentary film: Tutiis La Suit (American Indians in New Orleans); Lullaby songs in 2006; and his last, a YouTube recording, just last month, entitled, Salieu Suso with The World Collective Music.
Salieu has been recognized for his community contributions as a kora player, singer, recording artist, and storyteller. Some of his proudest moments are accolades received in 2004 by Professor Thomas of the African American Kwanza Celebration in Staten Island; the Barrio Music Award in 2007 by Bronx Arts Council; the African Immigrant Association of New York in 2019 by Bronx Borough President, Ruben Diaz; and the Brooklyn Arts Council, also in 2019.
Salieu freelances as a soloist, and as a collaborator with other groups in the United States. As he continues to preserve his West African culture, one of his personal goals, is to complete the writing of a book about his musical life.