Pascal Bokar Thiam

Dr. Pascal Bokar Thiam is a scholar, professor, writer, composer, guitarist/vocalist based in the San Francisco Bay Area. He is a faculty in the Performing Arts & Social Justice Department of the University of San Francisco where he teaches Jazz History, African Music courses and is the Director if the USF Jazz Band. Dr. Pascal Bokar Thiam also has appointments in the Music department of City College of San Francisco and Menlo College of Atherton, CA. Born in Paris, and growing up in Mali and Senegal, his work both musically and scholarly focuses on the history of the transfer of standards of aesthetics of traditional West African music styles and their influence on the early music of the Mississippi Delta which becomes better know as the Blues. His band the Pascal Bokar AfroBlueGrazz Band reflects the synthesis of such styles and can be heard on his CD releases entitled "American Shores" and "American Trails". on SUGO Music. Pascal Bokar Thiam is a celebrated Jazz Guitarist who has performed with Dizzy Gillespie, Donald Byrd, Donald Brown, Donald Bailey etc... He is listed in Scott Yanov's book titled "The Great Jazz Guitarists" distributed by publishing powerhouse Hal Leonard. Pascal Bokar's CD entitled "Guitar Balafonics" received 4 Stars in Downbeat Magazine and was listed as "One of the Best CDs of the Year" in 2015. His book entitled From Timbuktu to the Mississippi Delta features a foreword by NEA Jazz Master, Composer, Pianist Randy Weston. www.pascalbokar.com