An amazing discovery for world music fans, Kenya’s obokano band Kamatana plays Ashkenaz on its first U.S. tour, with didgeridoo master Stephen Kent opening, then joining the group at the end of the concert. Kent believes that this may be the first time the obokano, a Kenyan harp, has been heard here. Known as “the people’s lyre,” the obokano has also been dubbed “the double bass of East Africa.” It has eight strings that produce a deep buzzy sound reminiscent of a bass saxophone. When combined with vocals and percussion, it provides a strong rhythmic accompaniment.

Kamatana is made up of two musicians from the Gusii tribe, Dominic Ogari and Samwel Osieko, both educators as well as members of other traditional and fusion groups. “Kamatana” means togetherness, and in this spirit they sing not only folk songs in their native Gusii language, but also songs from other tribes in Kenya such as the Luhya and Luo in the west and the Kiswahili-speaking peoples of the coast. They also compose new songs in a traditional style. Their music is a unique sonic experience unlike any other.

Pioneering didgeridoo virtuoso Stephen Kent was raised in East Africa and England. As music director of Australia’s Circus Oz, he discovered an affinity for the didgeridoo, one of the world’s most ancient instruments, and a need to learn about the culture of its Australian Aboriginal creators. “Awakening to the Aboriginal world was like my own Big Bang,” Kent explains. “For me, the recreation of a musical universe on the didj, the culture of one note, continues to this day.”

Since moving to the Bay Area, Kent has co-led world fusion bands Trance Mission and Beasts of Paradise and collaborated with such world music greats as Zakir Hussain, Airto Moreira, Leonard Eto of Japan’s Kodo band, and Habib Koite as well as the Oakland Symphony. His most recent CD, “Living Labyrinths,” is solo didgeridoo captured in performance in Oakland’s intimate Chapel of the Chimes on the summer solstice. Kent is committed to promoting music from all manner of global cultures. He has produced a number of regional U.S. tours by Aboriginal musicians, Tuvan throat singers, and other artists. He also shares his love of the world’s music on his weekly KPFA (94.1 FM) radio program, “Music of the World.”