Toumani Diabate, a Malian master of the traditional 21-string West African kora instrument, has died. The New York Times References. Diabaté's manager, Saul Presa, confirmed the news The times, reporting that the musician died on Friday, July 19 at a hospital in Bamako, Mali, due to kidney failure. Toumani Diabate was 58 years old.
Diabaté's legacy as a 71st-generation kora player was due to the classical instrument's traditional applications—including spiritual and meditative music—but Diabaté also loved the cross-pollination of contemporary sounds. During his decade-long recording career, he collaborated with Björk, Taj Mahal, Damon Albarn, Béla Fleck, Malian guitarist Ali Farka Touré and many others.
Born in Bamako in 1965, Diabate came from a long line of griots – West African historian-musicians who preserve oral traditions, often accompanied by the kora or balafon xylophone. Diabaté's father, Sidiki Diabaté Sr., was a famous kora conductor and his mother, Nene Koita, was a singer. Even though he lived near a kora fan, however, Toumani Diabate taught himself by listening to his father and grandfather play. His son Toumanis Sidikis is also mostly self-taught. they played together on two of Diabaté's albums, Toumani & Sidikifrom 2014 and 2017 Lamomali.
Diabate began his professional career when he was just 13 years old, playing with a team from Koulikoro, Mali. At the age of 19, he joined a backing band of Malian singer and kora singer Kandia Kouyaté. In the late 1980s, Diabaté moved to London for a short period after meeting British producer and musicologist Lucy Durán, who worked on several of Diabaté's albums over the years, starting with his solo debut. Kairain 1988.
In addition to albums with blues legend Taj Mahal and banjoist Béla Fleck, Diabaté cut two LPs with renowned Malian guitarist Ali Farka Touré: 2005 In the Heart of the Moon and 2010 Ali and Toumani, which won Grammy Awards for Best Traditional World Music Album. Diabaté also recorded on Björk's 2007 album, Rideand joined her live in concert the following year.
Damon Albarn of Gorillaz and Blur was also a friend and collaborator of the late musician. Albarn recruited Diabaté for 2016 Music of Mali project and, in turn, performed at the Festival Acoustik Bamako — an event co-created by Diabaté in response to the deadly 2015 Bamako hotel attack.
In a 2007 interview with Pitchfork, Diabaté explained his love of intertwining cultures and genres: “Music is created as its own language, you know? The 'G' in the kora is the same 'G' found in a piano. It's the same 'G' that Carlos Santana used to play. The 'B' in kora is the same as the hip hop people have.”
