Toumani Diabate
Diabaté was widely acknowledged as the finest kora player of his generation. His calm, dignified and effortless kora playing, producing enchanting, blues-like sounds that remain with the listener long after their performance, was unrivalled.
I was very surprised to learn that on July 19, the master of kora music, Malian Toumani Diabaté, passed away. He was only 58 years old! There are many great kora players, such as Sona Jorbateh, Ballaké Sisoko, Sékou Keita and Jeli Moussa Djawara. However, many will agree that Toumani Djiabate was a prominent figure among them.
Diabaté was widely acknowledged as the finest kora player of his generation. His calm, dignified and effortless kora playing, producing enchanting, blues-like sounds that remain with the listener long after their performance, was unrivalled.
Diabaté was a prolific music creator, with over 20 critically acclaimed albums and countless singles in his repertoire, which will continue to entertain his fans and sustain his legacy.
Her 2005 album In the Heart of the Moon, on which she collaborated with the late musical supremo Ali Farka Touré, arguably Mali's most talented musician and credited with proving that African-American blues music originated in West Africa, won the 2006 Grammy Award for “Best Traditional World Music Album.”
Diabaté's album Mandé Variations was also nominated for a Grammy Award in 2008. That same year, he was named a United Nations Goodwill Ambassador due to the attention his music brought to the fight against HIV and AIDS.
And in 2014, the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London awarded him an honorary doctorate in music for his contribution to the popularization of kora music.
As is the case with many kora players, Diabaté came from a djeli or griot family of oral historians, storytellers and praise singers among the Mandinka and Soso peoples of West Africa.
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His father, Sidiki Djiabté, is said to have recorded the first kora album in 1970. His family's musical history is believed to go back 70 generations.
The djeli were prominent figures in public affairs during the great Mali Empire in the 14th century. They were attached to the families of warrior kings and accompanied them to public functions. The djeli of the founder of the Mali Empire, Sundiata, is believed to have been Bala Faséké, as recounted in the “Epic of Sundiata,” a heroic poem that tells the story of Sundiata’s valor.
Diabaté's son, who bears his father's name, Sidiki, is also a kora player. They often performed together. It is to be hoped that Sidiki will follow in his father's footsteps and push the boundaries of this great musical tradition to new heights.
The djeli were prominent figures in public affairs during the great Mali Empire in the 14th century. They were attached to the families of warrior kings and accompanied them to public functions. The djeli of the founder of the Mali Empire, Sundiata, is believed to have been Bala Faséké, as recounted in the “Epic of Sundiata,” a heroic poem that tells the story of Sundiata’s valor.
My first contact with kora music was as a child in Sierra Leone in the 1960s. Our father was a Mandinka and soso music enthusiast. The radio in our living room was always tuned to Radio Guinea every Sunday.
And because he spoke Soso fluently, he sang along with enthusiasm when familiar songs were played. It was impossible to ignore or not be influenced by this music, as it was practically all we listened to on Sundays.
What struck me most when I recalled those formative years were the melodious and relaxing sounds of the strings of the kora and the balanji (xylophone).
Kora music remains one of my favorite music genres when I want to relax and reflect deeply on something. Toumani Djiabaté's albums and singles always occupy the top spot on my playlist.
He will be greatly missed by lovers of traditional African music, especially kora music. May he rest in eternal peace.
Yusuf Bangura writes from Nyon, Switzerland. Email: Bangura.ym@gmail.com