10 traditional African songs that won international acclaim

Mildred Europa Taylor June 21, 2018

Koulandjan by Kasse Mady Diabate

Produced with Taj Mahal and Toumani Diabaté, this album was cited by former U.S. president, Barack Obama as one of his favourite albums of all time.

Diabate was a griot from the long line of Manding musical royalty who sang with golden voices and traditional Malian guitars.

The famous Malian musician came to the limelight in 1970 when he led the Orchestre Régional Super Mandé de Kangaba as a singer and won the group the national Biennale music competition in the Malian capital Bamako.

During his years in Paris, he recorded his first solo album for the Senegalese record producer Ibrahima SSylla and other albums including Fode, an acoustic album of Kéla jeli songs.

He moved back to Mali in the late 1990s and collaborated with several artists and groups like Ketama and Toumani Diabaté on the Songhai 2 album and with Taj Mahal and Toumani Diabaté on the album Koulandjan.

Last Edited by:Ismail Akwei Updated: June 21, 2018

Conversations

Must Read

Connect with us

Join our Mailing List to Receive Updates