There were performances from nine main acts at the event, which held from June 2-5. Some of the more notable artistes were Senegalese griot Noumoucounda Cissoko and French-Martiniquais jazz bassist Sélène Saint-Aimé. The festival, organised by the Saint Louis Jazz Association, is set amid a backdrop of colonial-style buildings. Horse-drawn carts transport locals and tourists around the city centre, located on a 2-km-long island. The event features a unique style of jazz that combines the conventional guitar, piano and drums with traditional West African instruments such as the 22-string kora and the calabash, a percussion instrument made of dried gourds.
SOURCE: AL JAZEERA
