Jazz Articles

Mamadou Diabate: Griot Classique

by Dan Bilawsky
August 4, 2014

The kora--a West African harp with twenty-one strings and a gourd resonator--is more than an instrument when placed in the hands of a master like Mamadou Diabate; it's a means for storytelling, a tool for expression, a uniting musical force, and a historical repository. Over the course of his previous albums, Diabate has managed to broaden the scope of the kora's language and associations while remaining true to its traditions. He incorporated the blues and Bambara music ...