Derek Gripper in Concert - A New African String Theory

Derek Gripper, guitar

“A new African String Theory emerges, weaving together a rich tapestry of themes and variations.” Fifty Four Magazine

Much-loved by Bay Chamber audiences, South African guitarist Derek Gripper’s latest work treads the fine line between recital and improvisation, with memory as the point that binds them. Coming from the tradition of the narrative and written compositions of European classical music, Derek immersed himself in the cyclical works of great African masters like Ballaké Sissoko and Toumani Diabaté. Creating written representations of their works created the first fixed compositional representations of these works from the oral tradition, which Derek performed and recorded on solo guitar for over a decade. He then began to work directly with the composers themselves, and in these collaborations, most notably with Ballaké Sissoko, he watched the compositions dissolve into the interaction of single moments, almost as we remember a story in fragments and fictions, accurate re-tellings and flights of fancy. It is this theory of strings, strings of instruments, but also threads between works and musical traditions, that Derek recreates as a New African String theory, a theory of performing compositions which is also a theory of improvisation, misremembering, and re-creating.