ABOUT

---

SK Kakraba is a virtuoso, master player, and maker of the grill, the national instrument of Northern Ghana. Born into a family of gyil  players, in an area of Ghana that is known for its many great  musicians, SK formed a bond with the instrument at an early age.  As a  young boy, SK would often grab gyil beaters and try to copy the  performances he was hearing.  Under the traditional guidance of his  family, SK developed his mastery of the instrument, as well as his  knowledge of its rich musical repertoire.

SK’s late uncle, Kakraba Lobi, was one of the first gyil players to  tour, lecture and record internationally.  In 1997, Lobi arranged a  position for SK as a performer and instructor with the International  Center for African Music and Dance at the University of Ghana, working  under the renowned musicologist and composer professor J.H. Kwabena  Nketia.  With his work at the university and his contributions towards  building a resurgent interest in traditional music in the local  scene, SK’s reputation as an artist began to grow.

With a desire to share his culture, SK began touring  internationally.  Since 2000, SK has performed at numerous concerts and  festivals across Africa, Europe and North America.  He has played shows  with legendary musicians Lee 'Scratch' Perry, U-Roy, Idris Ackamoor  & the Pyramids; and with many other notable bands, including: Son Lux, Allah-Las and Black Midi.

As a solo artist, SK has released four albums: “Gandayina:  Xylophone Music of Ghana” (Pentatonic Press, 2002), “Kanbile: Solo And  Ensemble Xylophone Music Of Ghana” (Pentatonic Press, 2014), “Yonye”  (Sun Ark Records/Drag City, 2015), and “Songs Of Paapieye” (Awesome  Tapes From Africa, 2015).

Critics and fans alike have hailed SK’s releases and performances. In reviewing his song “Guun” from Songs of Paapieye,  Pitchfork stated “Kakraba's polyrhythms are genius… There's a fluidity  and flexibility of gesture here that's reminiscent of jazz, too, even  though the gyil far predates that.” The New York Times called his  playing “…propulsive but never predictable.”  The LA Weekly profiled SK  as “The man who might be the world’s greatest xylophone player…” and  described his music “…as hypnotic and otherworldly as you might expect —  unfamiliar music, to Western ears, at its very best.”

In 2012, SK moved to Los Angeles, and began to connect with local  musicians to create new blends of traditional and modern music.  The  resulting collaborations have included performances and releases with  artists working in a variety of genres, ranging from the experimental  jazz of Dave Rempis, and Tim Daisy and Tony Buck (The Necks); the “space music” of Carlos Niño & Friends; and the synth pop of Empire of the Sun.   SK also continues to pass along his knowledge and love of the gyil by  performing in schools, giving workshops to American music teachers and  teaching seminars at the California Institute of the Arts.  SK’s  upcoming projects include working with music educator Doug Goodkin, on a  book about gyil music adaptable to Orff instruments.