Longtime Paul Simon bassist talks of the growing number of prominent African bass players

Exclusive video interview with FBPO’s Jon Liebman
October 16, 2023

Born and raised in Soweto, South Africa, Bakithi Kumalo is best known as the longtime bassist for music icon Paul Simon. Kumalo has played on a number of Grammy-winning albums, most notably Simon’s 1986 Graceland release. He has also performed and/or recorded with a widely diverse list of artists, including Hugh Masakela, Joan Baez, Cyndi Lauper, Herbie Hancock, Grover Washington Jr., Stevie Wonder, John Legend, Gloria Estefan… the list goes on. He’s also released recordings of his own material as a leader.

Watch our interview with Bakithi!

See Jon’s blog, with key takeaways from this interview here.