Mola Sylla (born

Dakar Dakar ( ; ; wo, Ndakaaru) (from daqaar ''tamarind''), is the capital and largest city of Senegal. The city of Dakar proper has a population of 1,030,594, whereas the population of the Dakar metropolitan area is estimated at 3.94 million in 2 ...

Senegal Senegal,; Wolof: ''Senegaal''; Pulaar: 𞤅𞤫𞤲𞤫𞤺𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭 (Senegaali); Arabic: السنغال ''As-Sinighal'') officially the Republic of Senegal,; Wolof: ''Réewum Senegaal''; Pulaar : 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 � ...

, 1956) is a

ese musician. He moved to Europe in 1987 and lives in

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

. He is a singer and plays such traditional African instruments as the ''

mbira Mbira ( ) are a family of musical instruments, traditional to the Shona people of Zimbabwe. They consist of a wooden board (often fitted with a resonator) with attached staggered metal tines, played by holding the instrument in the hands and p ...

'', '' kongoma'' (Senegalese

lamellophone A lamellophone (also lamellaphone or linguaphone) is a member of the family of musical instruments that makes its sound by a thin vibrating plate called a lamella or tongue, which is fixed at one end and has the other end free. When the musician ...

), ''

xalam Xalam (in Serer, or khalam in Wolof) is a traditional stringed musical instrument from West Africa with 1-5 strings. The xalam is commonly played in Mali, Gambia, Senegal, Niger, Northern Nigeria, Northern Ghana, Burkina Faso, Mauritania, and ...

'', and ''

kalimba Mbira ( ) are a family of musical instruments, traditional to the Shona people of Zimbabwe. They consist of a wooden board (often fitted with a resonator) with attached staggered metal tines, played by holding the instrument in the hands and pl ...

''.

Sylla has collaborated with a wide variety of musicians, including in

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

and cross-cultural settings. He has worked with

Ernst Reijseger Ernst Reijseger (born 13 November 1954) is a Dutch cellist and composer. He specializes in avant-garde jazz, free jazz, improvised music, and contemporary classical music and often gives solo concerts. He has worked with Louis Sclavis, Derek ...

, with whom he composed the score to

Werner Herzog Werner Herzog (; born 5 September 1942) is a German film director, screenwriter, author, actor, and opera director, regarded as a pioneer of New German Cinema. His films often feature ambitious protagonists with impossible dreams, people with un ...

's 2005 film ''

The Wild Blue Yonder ''The Wild Blue Yonder'' is a 2005 science fiction fantasy film by German director Werner Herzog. It was presented at the 62nd Venice Film Festival, where it won the FIPRESCI Award. It was screened in competition at the Mar del Plata Internati ...

''. He is a founding member of the groups Senemali (a collaboration between Senegalese and

Mali Mali (; ), officially the Republic of Mali,, , ff, 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞥆𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 𞤃𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭, Renndaandi Maali, italics=no, ar, جمهورية مالي, Jumhūriyyāt Mālī is a landlocked country in West Africa. Mali ...

an musicians) and VeDaKi (formerly Vershki da Koreshki, a quartet made up of Senegalese, Russian, and Indian musicians).

Discography

With Vershki Da Koreshki *''Vershki da Koreshki'' (Al Sur, 1996) *''Real Life of Plants'' (Shanachie, 1997) With Vedaki *''Gombi Zor'' (Vedaki Records, 1999) *''Samm'' (Vedaki Records, 2008) With Volkovtrio *''Much Better'' (Green Wave Records, 1998) With Vladimir Volkov *''Seetu/Mirror/Зеркало'' (Long Arms Records, 2002) With

*''

Janna Janna (Kannada : ಮಹಾಕವಿ ಜನ್ನ) was one of the well-known Kannada poets of the early 13th century who also served in the capacity of a minister and a builder of temples. He graced the court of Hoysala empire King Veera Ba ...

'' (Winter & Winter, 2003) *''

Requiem for a Dying Planet ''Requiem for a Dying Planet'' (subtitled ''Sounds for Two Films by Werner Herzog'') is an album by cellist Ernst Reijseger featuring music for Werner Herzog's 2004 documentary ''The White Diamond'' and 2005 film ''The Wild Blue Yonder'' performed ...

'' (Winter & Winter, 2006) With Ernst Reijseger and

Harmen Fraanje Harmen Fraanje (born 23 January 1976 in Roosendaal, Netherlands) is a Dutch jazz pianist and composer. He currently lives in Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the ...

*''Down Deep'' (Winter & Winter, 2013) *''Count til Zen'' (Winter & Winter, 2015) *''We Were There'' (Just Listen, 2020)

External links

Mola Sylla official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sylla, Mola 1956 births Living people 21st-century Senegalese male singers People from Dakar Musicians from Amsterdam 20th-century Senegalese male singers Senegalese emigrants to the Netherlands