The story behind the sound
Pascal Bokar
Guitarist. Vocalist. Composer. Educator. A lifelong conversation between African rhythm and American roots.
Born in Paris and raised in Mali and Senegal, Pascal Bokar grew up with the musical, melodic, rhythmic, dance and spoken-word traditions of West African culture. The ngoni and balafon, ancestors of the banjo and xylophone, would become central to the cultural bridge in his work.
He studied at the National School of Arts in Dakar and the National Conservatory of Nice, then attended Berklee College of Music, where he received the Jim Hall Jazz Master Award for Guitarists. Pascal has performed with Dizzy Gillespie, Donald Byrd, Donald Bailey and Donald Brown.
Pascal holds a master’s degree from Cambridge College and a doctorate from the University of San Francisco Graduate School of Education.
His recording Guitar Balafonics received a four-star review and a Best CDs of 2015 distinction from DownBeat. Pascal is also the author of books on West African musical aesthetics and their relationship to the music of the American South.
His academic appointments include the University of San Francisco, San Francisco City College and Sierra College in California, where he brings the same generosity and depth to the classroom that he brings to the stage.
