Ambassadors of Joy: The Hard Road Trio teams up with King Ibu

Chris Sanders once said that when she and fellow Hard Road Trio members play with musicians from diverse backgrounds, they all become “ambassadors of joy.” She and the Hard Road Trio have a new cd out, “Smoke and Redemption,” and they invited Senegalese guitarist/composer/singer King Ibu to join them in the cd-release concert on Saturday, Dec. 19, in just that kind of joyful blending of musical styles.  King Ibu grew up as part of the noble class of Senegal that is not allowed to learn or play music, but his love of the art was so great that he struggled against the class system that barred him from learning, and taught himself. The two came to KRWG to talk with Intermezzo host Leora Zeitlin about the making of the new Hard Road Trio cd, King Ibu’s background and music, and their combined concert.