Born in Mopti, Mali, in 1983, Mama Koné comes from a griot family rooted in traditional music. He grew up around the balafon, jembe, ngoni, and talking drum. At 12, he began studying pentatonic balafon, then moved to jembe under the guidance of his older brother.
After high school, Koné studied drama at the Institut National des Arts in Bamako, an institution also attended by Habib Koité. His international profile rose in 2012, when Koité invited him to contribute to Brothers In Bamako, the album with American blues artist Eric Bibb. He later appeared on Koité’s Soô (2014) and Kharifa (2019).
Koné has since become a core member of Habib Koité’s touring band. He performs calabash and jembe, and also contributes backing vocals. Beyond that work, he remains active in Bamako’s music scene, where he continues to play traditional instruments with local groups.
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.