Artist Profiles: Keba Bobo Cissoko
Keba Bobo Cissoko was born and raised in a jali village in Guinea Bissau. He lived the traditional “Jali” life until he moved to Guinea-Conakry…
Koum Tara’s Sound Recipe Spanning Millennia
Koum Tara – Chaâbi, Jazz and Strings (Odradek Records ODRCD700, 2018) Jazz legend tells us that while the U. S. 369th Infantry Regiment (AKA Harlem…
Harmonious Debate
Chapter 1 Millenia before the invention of the screw, he screwed his perceptions down, tightening and focusing all the sensory pressure he could bring to…
Artist Profiles: Wofa
Wofa means ‘come together’ in the Soso dialect of Guinea. It also represents the combined energy of some of the finest young performers of West…
Artist Profiles: Mamady Keita
Born in 1950, master drummer Mamady Keita came from eastern Guinea, once a part of the vast Manding Empire. In pre-colonial times it also included…
Artist Profiles: Kadé Diawara
Kadé Diawara is highly celebrated throughout Guinea as one of the single most significant jeli women in the country. On October 2, 1958 – the…
Artist Profiles: Famoudou Konaté
Famoudou Konaté is an exceptional virtuoso on the jembe. Famoudou Konaté was born in 1940 in Sangbarala, in the Hamana region of Guinea – the…
Artist Profiles: Sekou “Diamond Fingers” Diabate
The dazzling West African guitar virtuoso, Sekou “Diamond Fingers” Diabate, of the legendary Bembeya Jazz, is widely considered to be one of the top few…
Artist Profiles: Prince Diabate
Prince Diabate hails from a prominent family of Malinke jeli musicians from Guinea, West Africa. He learned his art from his father at a very…
Artist Profiles: N’Faly Kouyate
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,…