N’Faly Kouyate was born into the most famous family of jalis of the Manding, the region of West Africa which includes Guinea-Conakry, Mali, the Gambia, Senegal, and Burkina Faso. He is the son of Konkoba Kabinet Kouyate of Siguiri in the Republic of Guinea. Konkoba is a rare grade of musician, superior among jalis. This rare grade (there exist fewer than three in the world today) was acquired by him through achieving difficult tests and gaining a perfect mastery of the secrets of life, composed of its deep occult secrets and also all of the magic of the Manding world.
Formed in the most rigorous traditions of the traditional artists of West Africa, N’Faly opened his mind nonetheless at a very young age to universal forms of music, including jazz, world music, blues and techno. A highly accomplished musician, N’Faly is a marvelous singer, kora player, storyteller and bala player, as well as an articulate spokesperson of the studies of these musics and of polyphony, of which he often lectures in Belgian universities.
In 1997, Peter Gabriel’s Realworld Studios proposed to integrate him into their most successful ensemble, the Afro Celt Sound System. He accepted this invitation, and this has allowed him the opportunity to perform at many of the most prestigious festivals in Europe and North America.
In 1999, the second CD by the Afro Celt Sound System, “Release,” was released to critical acclaim, a World Music Grammy nomination and gold record status in Ireland. N’Faly won extensive praise from all corners for his brilliant participation. Volume Three, “Further in Time,” has now been released and N’Faly is already garnering praise, not only for his exquisite kora playing, but for his arrangements as well as his compositional and vocal contributions. In his solo career, he works extensively in Belgium and, indeed, throughout Europe, to teach the history of the Manding to all ages from 7 to 77. And, through these performances, he proposes to advance not only his culture, but his dream of the realization of understanding and tolerance among all cultures of the world. To this end, he works with Muriel in their organization Namunkanda (The Defense of the Culture) which is expanding to the U.S. in 2001-2.
Since 1997 he has also performed with the Chris Joris Experience and through this embraces his love of jazztheir 1998 CD “Live at Middleheim” won the “Prix Django D’or” award for that year. He also pursues his career and goals through his work with his own ensemble Dunyakan (“The Voice of the World”) in which blues, world music, jazz and the traditional music of Guinea are intermingled. This is perhaps where his true heart lies. Their music includes traditional instruments such as the kora, jembe, bala, and more traditional Western instruments such as the double bass and the drum battery. Their polyphonies are largely inspired by the music of Guinea, and their reliance on these lends a sweetness to the rhythms, giving Dunyakan a unique sound in the cadre of “world music.”
N’Faly’s strong compositional skills give Dunyakan its own identity, intensely personal, formed by N’Faly’s strong ideals and dreams. They have performed throughout Belgium, France, England and Ireland and plan to tour in the U.S. in 2002, and possibly Taiwan as well. 2001 saw the release of their CD, “N’Na Kandje.”
Discography:
Kora Grooves From West Africa (ARC Music, 2004)
Tunya (Galileo Music Communication, 2008)
Change (Namun Records, 2015)
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
