In the Press from Monterey County Weekly: South African guitarist Derek Gripper transcribes songs from the kora, resulting in a unique sound. (By Sloan Campi Apr 25, 2024)

Do musical instruments sing to each other in different languages? If you were to ask South African instrumentalist Derek Gripper, he’d probably respond with his guitar, but it would sound more like a kora – a gourd-like string instrument with a tone somewhere between a harp and a lute. Translation is what he’s after. Gripper, a classical guitarist, transcribes musical notes from the kora to his guitar, and the result is an astral projection of musical diversity.

Gripper plays at CSU Monterey Bay’s World Theater on Sunday, April 28. The free concert was arranged by Anthony Demers, a Pacific Grove-based classical guitarist and member of the Carmel Guitar Society.

“He ‘sings’ as he plays,” says Demers, describing Gripper’s fretwork as “expressing a lyrical voice through an instrument.” continue reading at Monterey County Weekly ...