mali | Musicosity

Rokia Traoré

Rokia Traoré (born 24th January 1974) is an award-winning Malian singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Traoré was born in Kolokani, Mali as a member of the Bambara ethnic group. As her father was a diplomat, she travelled widely in her youth travelling to Algeria, Saudi Arabia, France and Belgium. As a result of this travel, she was exposed to a wide variety of influences. The Bambara also had a tradition of griot performing at weddings although members of the nobility such as Traoré are discouraged from performing as musicians.

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Ballaké Sissoko

Ballaké Sissoko, born 1968, is a noted player of the kora. He has worked with Toumani Diabaté and Taj Mahal and several others. Ballaké's father, Djelimady Sissoko, was a great master of the kora.

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Oumou Sangare

Oumou Sangare (born February 25, 1968 in Bamako) is a Malian wassoulou musician, sometime referred to as "The Songbird of Wassoulou." Wassoulou is descended from traditional hunting songs, and is accompanied by a calabash. Many of Sangare's songs concern love and marriage, especially freedom of choice in marriage. Her 1989 Moussoulou album was an unprecedented West African hit. In 1995, she toured with Baaba Maal, Femi Kuti and Boukman Eksperyans. Other albums include Ko Sira (1993), Worotan (1996), and a 2-CD compilation Oumou (2004), all released on Nonesuch Records.

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Vieux Farka Toure

This is a bogus artist, please see Vieux Farka Touré. Thank you.

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Amadou & Mariam

Amadou and Mariam are a musical duo from Mali, composed of the couple Mariam Doumbia (vocals) (born in Mali's capital Bamako 15 April 1958) and Amadou Bagayoko (guitar and vocals) (born in Bamako 24 October 1954). The pair, known as "the blind couple from Mali" met at Mali's Institute for the Young Blind, and found they shared an interest in music. The duo produces music that mixes traditional Mali sound with rock guitars, Syrian violins, Cuban trumpets, Egyptian ney, Colombian trombones, Indian tablas and Dogon percussion.

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Djelimady Tounkara

Djelimady Tounkara is a Malian musician and one of the foremost guitarists in Africa. Born in the culturally rich town of Kita, east of the Malian capital, Bamako, Djelimady grew up surrounded with traditional music played by members of his family. The Tounkaras are Griots, musicians and historians by birth. Djelimady played djembe drum and xalam, a banjo-like lute, as a boy. When he moved to Mali's capital, Bamako, during the 1960s, he had actually planned to work as a tailor. But music proved a stronger calling.

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Ballake Sissoko & Vincent Segal

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Nahini Doumbia

Nahini Doumbia is a griot drummer based in Mali. He and his band regularly perform at wedding and private parties in Bamako. A master drummer, he also runs workshops and teaches percussion in Mali, France, and the UK.

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Terakaft

Terakaft is a gang of guitarists, in the same vein as Tinariwen. Nothing astonishing about that if you consider that Terakaft was founded by Kedou and Diara, two formative and historical guitarists from Tinariwen. Moreover Kedou accompanied Tinariwen to the very first Festival with the Desert by Chock-Essako in January 2001, and contributes four songs on their first album The Radio Tisdas Sessions.

Kasse Mady Diabate

Kasse Mady Diabate was born in Kéla, Mali in 1949. The Diabatés are one of the two biggest griots families. Their ancestor Morykaba Diabaté fought with Soundjata in the 13th century. Kela is the capital of the griots, the Mecca of musical tradition. All of his cousins, brothers, sisters, know how to sing without micro before thousands of people but Kassé Mady is different because of his sweet voice. He owes his fame in Mali to this gentle, though powerful voice.

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