Kasse Mady Diabate

Kassé Mady is one of Mali's greatest singers, a griot of the Diabaté family.

For this concert, he is accompanied by three musicians who represent different areas of Manding-speaking West Africa. Ballaké Sissoko plays kora, from the Casamance region, Lansiné Kouyaté performs on balafon, from the central zone, and Makan Tounkara plays the bitter-sounding ngoni of the northern deserts of Mali.

The different instruments are drawn together by Kassé Mady's soft baritone voice, singing in Bambara.

Kassé Mady's latest album is Kiriké, which means 'horse's saddle' – an important symbol of griot culture. It was produced by French cellist Vincent Segal.

'The quietly powerful and soulful vocals always dominate... Kassé Mady is still in magnificent voice' **** (The Guardian)

'The album is very intimate and understated, with a sense of eavesdropping on a truly great master singer' (Lucy Duran, SOAS)