Wednesday, July 31, 2024

A01713 - Toumani Diabate, Malian Kora Master

Toumani Diabaté (b. August 10, 1965, Bamako, Mali – d. July 19, 2024, Galle, Mali) was a Malian kora player. In addition to performing the traditional music of Mali, he was involved in cross-cultural collaborations with flamenco, blues, jazz, and other international styles of music. 

Toumani was born in Bamako, Mali, into a griot family.  His father was known as "the king of kora' and Toumani was the 7th generation of musicians in his family.  He started to play kora at the age of five and was considered one of the greatest players of the traditional West African instrument. Toumani recorded his legendary album, Kaira (1988), in only a couple of hours and revolutionized the way of playing the kora, like Jimi Hendrix revolutionized the way of playing the guitar.   


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Toumani Diabaté (/ˌtuˈmɑːˌni ˌdʒɑːˈbɑːˌteɪ/ too-MAH-nee jah-BAH-tay;[2] 10 August 1965 – 19 July 2024) was a Malian kora player.[3] In addition to performing the traditional music of Mali, he was involved in cross-cultural collaborations with flamenco, blues, jazz, and other international styles of music.[3] In 2006, the London-based newspaper The Independent named him one of the fifty best African artists.[4] In its obituary, The Times described him as "a bold and innovative musical visionary".[5]

Biography

[edit]

Diabaté was born on 10 August 1965[6] in Bamako, the capital of Mali, five years after the country had gained its independence from France.[5] He came from a long family tradition of players of the kora, a 21-string west African harp-like instrument. His father, Sidiki Diabaté, recorded the first-ever kora album, in 1970.[5][3] His mother, Nene Koita, was a singer.[5] His family's oral tradition tells of 70 generations of musicians preceding him in a patrilineal line. His cousin Sona Jobarteh was the first female professional kora player to come from a griot family. His younger brother Mamadou Sidiki Diabaté is also a kora player. According to Diabaté, a childhood illness resulted in his losing the use of his right leg, and he walked using a crutch.[7][8]

As a boy, Diabaté absorbed the griot culture around him and learned from watching his father and grandfather play. He recalled that his father's style involved combining the functions of bass line, melody, and improvisation, and Diabaté learned to play the kora that way.[5] He was performing in public by the age of 13 and became one of the musicians in the backing group of jelimuso (female griot singer) Kandia Kouyaté.[5]

In 1987, Diabaté made an appearance on Ba Togoma, an album featuring his father's ensemble. This was his opportunity to be heard outside his homeland. In 1988, he released his first album in the West, a solo endeavour entitled Kaira, recorded in one afternoon in London and produced by Lucy Durán.[3]

Diabaté also performed and recorded in cross-cultural settings. He collaborated with flamenco group Ketama, forming a combined group known as Songhai and releasing two recordings: Songhai I and Songhai II.[3] In 1999, Diabaté collaborated with American blues musician Taj Mahal on the release Kulanjan. MALIcool was a collaboration with American jazz trombonist Roswell Rudd. Diabaté also worked with Icelandic musician Björk on her 2007 album, Volta, and subsequently appeared with her at the Glastonbury Festival.[9]

In 1999, Diabaté released the album New Ancient Strings, a collaboration with Ballaké Sissoko.[3] In September 2005, he released In the Heart of the Moon, for which he collaborated with Ali Farka Touré. The album went on to win the 2006 Grammy Award for Best Traditional World Music Album. On 25 July 2006, he released Boulevard de l'Indépendance, recorded with his Symmetric Orchestra. In the Heart of the Moon and Boulevard de l'Indépendance are both part of the Hotel Mandé Sessions, recorded by Nick Gold and released on World Circuit Records. Both Boulevard and Hotel Mandé are references to landmarks in Mali's capital city, Bamako.[10]

The Symmetric Orchestra, led by Diabaté, is composed of West African musicians (mostly griots),[11] who play a mix of traditional instruments including the kora, djembe, balafon, and bolombatto, as well as modern ones such as the guitar and electronic keyboard.[12]

Diabaté appeared in 2006 at the WOMAD Festival UK, Roskilde Festival in Denmark, and at the Sziget Festival in Budapest, Hungary. In 2007, he performed at the Glastonbury Festival and toured the US. In 2008, he was at WOMADelaide in Adelaide, Australia.[13] In early 2008, Diabaté released a new album of solo kora music, The Mandé Variations, to widespread critical acclaim, including a nomination for a Grammy award.[9] Many reviewers praised the project for its detailed recording of the kora and careful mastering, in addition to the improvisational skills and wide range of apparent influences on display.[14]

In October 2008, the Arabic-language lyrics in Diabaté's song "Tapha Niang" (from Boulevard de l'Indépendance) were removed from the PlayStation 3 video game LittleBigPlanet, after it elicited objections from a Muslim individual due to their inclusion of verses from the Qur'an.[15] The publisher, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, decided to delay the launch of the game by a week and recall most discs in order to replace the song with a lyric-free instrumental version. However, some copies of the original game had already been sold in the Middle East and United States.[16]

In December 2008, Diabaté was appointed a United Nations Goodwill Ambassador for the work he did in highlighting HIV and AIDS through his music.[9]

Diabaté was chosen by Matt Groening to perform at the English All Tomorrow's Parties festival in May 2010. He also performed at Hay Festival in June. In July, he played at the Larmer Tree Festival.[17]

In March 2014, he received an honorary doctorate in music from SOAS for his contribution in raising awareness of the kora and traditional Malian music.[9]

In February 2016, Diabaté hosted Festival Acoustik Bamako, a three-day music festival to bring together international and Malian musicians along with other public figures with an overall message of peace. It was planned as a collection of outdoor and indoor music events to draw crowds of more than 20,000 people. The 2015 Bamako hotel attack meant that all the outdoor events were cancelled, however.[18]

Diabaté died after a short illness on 19 July 2024, at the age of 58.[19][20][21] He was survived by his wives, Fanta Sacko and Sira Diallo, and his sons Balla and Sidiki, with whom he had recorded a Grammy-nominated album of kora duets in 2014.

Discography

[edit]
Diabaté performing at the 2007 Winnipeg Folk Festival

Filmography

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ MANSA Newsletter Number 33, Winter 1996.
  2. ^ Bakan, Michael B. (2012). World Music: Traditions and Transformations. New York: McGraw Hill. p. 194. ISBN 978-0-07-352664-5 – via the Internet Archive. Toumani Diabate (Too-MAH-nee Jah-BAH-tay).
  3. ^ Jump up to:a b c d e f Colin Larkin, ed. (2000). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Nineties Music (First ed.). Virgin Books. p. 121. ISBN 0-7535-0427-8.
  4. ^ Maal, Baaba; Ankomah, Owusu; Birrell, Ian; Busby, Margaret; Casely-Hayford, Augustus; Holt, Thelma; Harding, Frances; Maqoma, Gregory; Shiri, Keith (1 December 2006). "Art of Africa: The 50 best African artists". The Independent. London: Independent News & Media. Archived from the original on 24 April 2008. Retrieved 13 May 2022.
  5. ^ Jump up to:a b c d e f "The Times Register Obituary Toumani Diabaté, Malian master of the kora". The Times. 26 July 2024. Retrieved 26 July 2024.
  6. ^ Denis, Jacques. "Mort de Toumani Diabaté, la kora perd son maître". Libération (in French). Retrieved 20 July 2024.
  7. ^ Curiel, Jonathan (3 November 2008). "Toumani Diabate's music transcends borders". Retrieved 20 October 2023.
  8. ^ Pitman, Todd (15 January 2007). "Guarding Kora Tradition". The Associated Press. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
  9. ^ Jump up to:a b c d "Toumani Diabaté". WOMEX. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
  10. ^ "North American Release of Toumani Diabaté's Symmetric Orchestra Boulevard de l'independence". Worldmusiccentral.org. 22 July 2006. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
  11. ^ Chabasseur, Eglantine (7 April 2006). "Malian Music – Toumani Diabaté". RFI Musique. Archived from the original on 30 September 2007. Retrieved 25 June 2007.
  12. ^ "Pop Listings". The New York Times. 16 April 2009. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
  13. ^ WOMADelaide[permanent dead link], site accessed 11 March 2008
  14. ^ Lusk, Jon (20 February 2008). "World Review – Toumani Diabaté, Mandé Variations". BBC Music. BBC.
  15. ^ Smith, Mike (17 October 2008). "Religious outcry sparks LittleBigRecall". Yahoo! Games. Yahoo Inc. Archived from the original on 23 October 2008.
  16. ^ "Game delayed over Koran phrases". BBC News. BBC. 20 October 2008.
  17. ^ "Larmer Tree spectacular". Salisbury Journal. 22 July 2010. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
  18. ^ Broughton, Simon (2 February 2016), "Damon Albarn: 'Mali's music is an inspiration for me – that's why I've been here so many times'", The Guardian.
  19. ^ "Nécrologie : l'artiste Toumani Diabaté est décédé à l'âge de 58 ans" [Obituary: musician Toumani Diabaté dead at the age of 58]. journaldumali.com (in French). 19 July 2024. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
  20. ^ AfricaNews (20 July 2024). "Mali's 'king of kora' Toumani Diabate dies at 58". Africanews. Retrieved 21 July 2024.
  21. ^ Presse, AFP-Agence France. "Malian Music Star Toumani Diabate Dies After Short Illness". barrons.com. Retrieved 21 July 2024.
  22. ^ Jump up to:a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Toumani Diabaté". African Music Library. Retrieved 22 July 2024.
  23. ^ "BBC – Awards for World Music 2008". BBC. Retrieved 22 July 2024.
  24. ^ Kleen, Lucas (20 July 2023). "New Ancient Strings, a modern classic". PAM – Pan African Music. Retrieved 22 July 2024.
  25. ^ Lusk, Jon. "BBC – Music – Review of Toumani Diabaté – Mandé Variations". BBC. Retrieved 22 July 2024.
  26. ^ Embley, Jochan (15 April 2020). "WFH album of the week: The Ripple Effect by Béla Fleck/Toumani Diabate". Evening Standard. Retrieved 22 July 2024.
  27. ^ Honigmann, David. "Kayhan Kalhor and Toumani Diabaté: The Sky Is the Same Colour Everywhere – two virtuosos collaborate". Financial Times. Retrieved 22 July 2024.
  28. ^ "Bamako is a Miracle". Chicago Reader. 17 December 2004. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
  29. ^ "Click-click, tick-tick". Film Freeway. Retrieved 20 July 2024.

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Toumani Diabaté, Malian Master of the Kora, Is Dead at 58

He believed that music could transcend national borders set by colonialism and restore ancient ties, even as it embraced the changes of a globalizing society.

A musician in traditional dress smiles as he plays a kora, the 21-stringed African instrument that combines elements of a harp and a lute.
Toumani Diabaté performing in Bamako, Mali, in 2006. He was devoted to celebrating the heritage of Mandé-speaking peoples throughout West Africa, and to sharing that history with the world.Credit...Rebecca Blackwell/Associated Press

By Giovanni Russonello

Toumani Diabaté, a virtuoso of the kora, a 21-stringed West African instrument, which he often put into dialogue with other musical traditions from around the globe, died on Friday in Bamako, Mali. He was 58.

His death, in a hospital, was caused by kidney failure, said his manager, Saul Presa.

Born in Mali to a line of griots, or traditional West African musician-historians, that he traced back more than 70 generations, Mr. Diabaté was devoted to celebrating the heritage of Mandé-speaking peoples throughout West Africa, and to sharing that history with the world.

“If you think of West Africa as a body, then the griot is the blood,” he told The New York Times in 2006. “We are the guardians of West Africa’s society. We are communicators.”

He believed that music could transcend national borders set by colonialism and restore ancient ties, even as it embraced the changes of a globalizing society. That mission inspired him to create his flagship ensemble, the Symmetric Orchestra.

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“I started building this band to rebuild Manden empire in a cultural way,” he said in a 2011 interview with Uncut magazine, referring to the Mali Empire that once covered the Upper Niger River basin from present-day Mali to Senegal. “The musicians are all from West African, Manden countries. I took the best from Senegal, Ghana, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Mauretania, and I put them all together.”

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An album cover shows two men posing with four koras leaning against a wall. Wording on the cover says, “Ali Farka Touré & Toumani Diabaté.”
Mr. Diabaté recorded two duet albums with the Malian guitarist Ali Farka Touré. They both won the Grammy Award for best traditional world music album.Credit...World Circuit

Mr. Diabaté reached perhaps his widest renown with a pair of duet albums he made with the Malian guitarist Ali Farka Touré: “In the Heart of the Moon” (2005), which was certified gold in Europe, and “Ali and Toumani” (2010). Both won Grammy Awards for best traditional world music album.

Mr. Diabaté also engaged in high-profile collaborations with international artists, including Björk, Taj Mahal, Damon Albarn and the London Symphony Orchestra, as well as with prominent Malian artists like Ballaké Sissoko and Salif Keita. He performed for world leaders as diverse as Jimmy Carter and Muammar el-Qaddafi.

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“There is too much misunderstanding between people, between nations and cultures,” Mr. Diabaté told Uncut. “We need to come together and play together.”

Toumani Diabaté was born in Bamako on Aug. 10, 1965, to Sidiki Diabaté, a kora player, and Nene Koita, a singer. His father’s family had been part of the griot class going back centuries — first as players of the ngoni, a kind of West African guitar, and then as masters of the kora, generally considered West Africa’s most sophisticated classical instrument.

Sidiki Diabaté was credited with elevating the kora as a solo instrument and helping to raise its profile around the world, ambitions that he passed on to his son. In its traditional context, the kora usually accompanies the singing of praise songs or epics and can be played in ensembles. But Sidiki Diabaté believed it was worthy of a solo spotlight, as the piano is in Western classical music or the sitar in Hindustani classical music.

But he did not compel his own children to play. “I taught myself,” Toumani Diabaté later told The Guardian, “listening to my father and grandfather and different musicians.”

He remembered his father’s virtuosic style, “putting the three functions together: bass line, melody and improvisation,” he told Songlines magazine in 2018. “When you listen, it’s like three men playing at the same time, and I learned the kora that way.”

As a child Toumani contracted polio, which left him with a limp for the rest of his life, but he quickly established his bona fides as a kora prodigy. He gave his first performances at 13, with a band from a small town outside Bamako; at 19, he joined the famed Malian singer Kandia Kouyate’s group.

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The cover of Toumani Diabaté’s album “Kaira,” with an abstract pattern of shapes that look to be made of cloth.
Mr. Diabaté played unaccompanied and without overdubs on his debut album, “Kaira,” released in 1988. Credit...Hannibal Records

When Mr. Diabaté was in his early 20s, he briefly moved to London, where he had been invited to perform. He was living there when he recorded his debut album, “Kaira” (1988), the first known to consist entirely of solo kora. Without overdubs or accompaniment, Mr. Diabaté wove a complex tapestry of hypnotizing bass lines, motifs and improvisations.

“Kaira” was his first of many collaborations with Lucy Durán, a British record producer and musicologist who became Mr. Diabaté’s lifelong champion. The title tune refers to a griot-led cultural movement of the 1950s and ’60s in Mali, which resisted the impositions of French colonialism and, after independence, charted a course for Mali’s modern identity, and in which Mr. Diabaté’s parents were active.

In Europe, Mr. Diabaté developed a partnership with Ketama, a Spanish flamenco trio, and Danny Thompson, the British double bassist, resulting in the album “Songhai” (1988), his first major cross-cultural collaboration.

In 1990 he founded the Symmetric Orchestra, mixing instruments from throughout West Africa as well as Europe and driving home the idea that the descendants of the ancient Mali Empire were still one people. For years, Mr. Diabaté and the orchestra held down a weekly residency at Le Hogon, Bamako’s leading music club.

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Starting in the late 1990s, Mr. Diabaté released a string of collaborative albums with artists at home and abroad: “New Ancient Strings” (1998), a suite of kora duets with Mr. Sissoko; “Kulanjan” (1999), recorded in Athens, Ga., with Taj Mahal and a band of Malian musicians; and “Malicool” (2002), with the jazz trombonist Roswell Rudd.

In 2008 Mr. Diabaté put out “The Mandé Variations,” his first solo kora record in 20 years, displaying an even more refined virtuosity than he’d shown on “Kaira.”

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A musician in traditional dress plucks the strings of a kora on a concert stage.
Mr. Diabaté in performance at the Bonnaroo Arts and Music Festival in Manchester, Tenn., in 2009.Credit...Dave Martin/Associated Press

Also that year, he was appointed a good-will ambassador with the Joint United Nations Program on H.I.V./AIDS.

In 2016, Mr. Diabaté helped organize the three-day Festival Acoustik Bamako to promote peace and solidarity in the wake of the deadly attack, backed by Al Qaeda, on a Bamako hotel the previous year.

He released two albums in this period with his son, Sidiki, who had also taken up the kora (and who was also largely self-taught): “Toumani & Sidiki” (2014) and “Lamomali” (2017), which also featured the French singer-songwriter Matthieu Chedid, who uses the stage name M.

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Information about Mr. Diabaté’s survivors was not immediately available.

A dedicated Muslim, Mr. Diabaté resisted the popular perception that African music was mostly about dancing and chasing a throbbing beat. “We have all types of music, including spiritual, mystical or meditative music,” he told Pan African Music magazine in 2021.

And he never stopped putting the kora in touch with music from around the globe. In the last five years of his life he released projects with the American banjoist Béla Fleck (“The Ripple Effect”), the London Symphony Orchestra (“Korolen”) and the Iranian musician Kayhan Kalhor (“The Sky Is the Same Colour Everywhere”).

“When I play with other musicians, I don’t play their music,” he told Uncut. “I play my music. And I don’t let them play my music! I say, ‘Play your music and I’ll play mine.’ We put it together and it becomes a new music, from the heart.”

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