Mamadou Diabate

Behmanka

Artist: Mamadou Diabate

CD title: Behmanka
Release date: 2004
Number of Discs: 1
Genre: Ethnic
Quality: flac
Time: 00:49:14
Info: covers included

Tracks:
01. Touma [00:05:44]
02. Jamanadiera [00:06:16]
03. Behmankha [00:05:48]
04. Koraboloba [00:09:42]
05. Kita baro [00:05:12]
06. Jarrabeekele [00:05:15]
07. Sansenefoly [00:04:35]
08. Djimbaseh [00:06:37]

Info:
Mamadou Diabate is a master of the kora, the ancient 21-string West African harp.
He was born in Kita, Mali, a city long known as a center for the arts and culture
of the Manding people of West Africa. As his last name indicates, he comes from a
family of griots, or jelis as they are known among the Manding, who are traditional
historians, genealogists, and story-tellers as well as musicians.

Mamadou�s father taught him to play the kora as a child, and from there he listened
and watched, and devoted himself to practicing the instrument. Before long, Mamadou
was playing kora for local jeli singers throughout the region at ceremonies such as
weddings and baptisms. At sixteen he went to Bamako, where under the tutelage of
his famous cousin, Toumani Diabate, he worked the jeli circuit and entertained the
powerful at the city's posh Amitie Hotel.

After touring the US in 1996 as part of the Instrumental Ensemble of Mali, Mamadou
decided to stay in the US and now calls it home. He performs nationally and
internationally as a soloist, as well as leading the Mamadou Diabate Ensemble,
which includes himself on kora, Balla Kouyate on balafon, Baye Kouyate on talking
drum and calabash, and Noah Jarrett on bass.

Mamadou Diabate has collaborated broadly with jazz musicians from Donald Byrd to
Randy Weston, as well as popular figures from Afropop star Angelique Kidjo and
Zimbabwean legend Thomas Mapfumo to blues mavericks Taj Mahal and Eric Bibb, and
even the jam band Donna the Buffalo. He gets frequent invitations to perform with
visiting Malian stars including grand divas such as Ami Koita, Tata Bambo Kouyate,
Kandia Kouyate, and Babani Kone.

Since 2000, Mamadou Diabate has released three CDs, one of which, Behmanka (World
Village), was nominated for a Grammy in 2005.