14th St xylophone, A/C/E

Chinese musicians, Grand St subway platform

Marcy JMZ

samurai

Marcy Ave stop, J/M line, NYC

My favorites… Mariachis on the F train!

Toumani Diabaté — Kaounding Cissko

from The Mandé Variations (2008)

I’ve been fooling around with my friend Sean’s Celtic harp lately, trying to get something that sounds good to come out of it. It’s addicting…and because it has many strings but no frets, it forces you to tell musical stories in different ways than a guitar would. A different sensibility. At any rate the harp has gotten me hooked on the sounds of many-stringed instruments.

Feeding that obsession, today I was very excited to see two guys playing koras in the subway. (see previous post) Here’s some music from the Malian kora master Toumani Diabaté to help you get strung out too.

Listen for the staccato rhythm of the lowest bass strings, deep below the cascading sounds of the highs. Amazing.

Lankandio Cissoko

Senegalese kora player

Atlantic Ave subway

the end of Canal St

Drums and a trumpet at 6th Ave L

mariachis on the 7 train

Violin, Metropolitan Ave stop

I’m a fan of cuttlefish just like anyone else… but not THIS much.

East Broadway station

“I love Jesus, I love Mohammed, I love the Ten Commandments—that way everyone’s covered. Ok?”

Mosaic at Metropolitan G stop, Williamsburg