
Improvisation is a fundamental feature of much of the music from the world’s diverse cultures. Jazz is perhaps the best known contemporary example, reflecting African traditions of improvisation. In the Manding culture of West Africa (a society spread throughout Mali, Senegal, and coastal countries such as Sierra Leone and Liberia), praise singers known as
griots (or
jalis) are hired by patrons. The singing is divided into two sections: a pre-composed choral refrain and an improvisation praising the family surname and reciting the ancestors. Singers accompany themselves on the kora, a large string instrument.
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