Fodé Lassana Diabaté

Fodé Lassana Diabaté is a virtuoso balafon (22-key xylophone) player from Mali. He was born into a well-known griot family and began playing balafon at the age of five with his father, Djelisory Diabaté, a master balafon player. Diabaté later apprenticed himself to celebrated balafon masters such as El Hadj Djeli Sory Kouyaté and Alkali Camara. To this day, Diabaté cherishes the now rare recordings of his mentors, whose unique styles continue to be an important inspiration to him. He has collaborated with international artists across a number of genres including jazz and Latin music, and was a member of the Grammy-nominated Mali-Cuba collaboration, Afrocubism. He is the leader of the new group, Trio Da Kali, a trio of Malian griots whose aim is to bring back forgotten repertoires and styles of the Mande griot tradition. Few can match his lyricism and virtuosity, and the resonant sound of the rosewood keys of his balafon.