Guitari Baro

West African string traditions meet a restless, modern edge as Guitari Baro comes to Rotterdam with a line-up built around two guitars and a balafon. Guitarists Papa Diabaté and Gaoussou Kouyaté lock into a call-and-response style that lives up to the group’s name, which translates as “conversations with guitar”, while Lassana Diabaté uses the balafon, a close relative of the xylophone, as both rhythmic anchor and melodic sparring partner.

The trio draws on the griot heritage of the historic Mandinka world, stretching across parts of present-day Gambia, Guinea, Mali and Burkina Faso, but the set does not stay in one lane. The listing points to influences ranging from jazz and Congolese rumba to rock, Guinean dance music and Cuban sounds, creating a mix that nods to the past while still feeling forward-looking. Diabaté’s wider résumé includes work with Toumani Diabaté’s Symmetric Orchestra and the Kronos Quartet, as well as leadership of Trio Da Kali, which has previously appeared at LantarenVenster.

Details
Date: Friday 12 June 
Start: 20:30
Venue: LantarenVenster, Rotterdam
Tickets: €23 (includes €3 service costs per ticket)
Seating: seated concert only, free choice of seat
Line-up: Gaoussou Kouyaté (guitar), Papa Diabaté (guitar), Lassana Diabaté (balafon)