Dobet Gnahoré
Republic of Côte d'Ivoire
A VERSATILE SINGER, DANCER AND PERCUSSIONIST FROM THE IVORY COAST
A versatile singer, dancer and percussionist from the Ivory Coast, Dobet inherited the local tradition from her father, Boni Gnahoré, a master percussionist. In Africa Dobet met French guitarist Colin Laroche de Féline, who arrived to study local melodies and rhythms. Together they formed a duo, and later a band. Their repertory sounds like encyclopedia of African styles: from Mandingue melodies to Congolese rumba, from Ivory Coast Ziglibiti to Cameroon Bikoutsi, from Ghanian High-Life to Zulu choirs, their compositions, carried along with jazz-like sounds, are varied and colourful.
