Kélétigui Diabaté

Kélétigui Diabaté (* 1931, † November 30, 2012 in Bamako ) was a Malian master musicians, the new playing techniques developed on the balafon and as one of the most important people was in the contemporary music of Mali.

Life and work

Diabaté comes from a family known Griotmusiker and learned next to the balafon and guitar and saxophone. In the late 1950s, he was part of the touring lineup of the Orchestre de la Republican Guard and went with them to West Africa. 1960, at the time of the declaration of independence of Mali, he was a founding member of the formation A of the Republic of Mali, with whom he grossed a book published by Barenreiter Musicaphon album. Later he became one of Salif Keïta since 1972, led by band Les Ambassadeurs.

In 1978 he developed his personal style on the balafon, after he had performed with American jazz musicians such as Lionel Hampton and Ella Fitzgerald; often he now played on two Balafonen that lay in semitone apart. In the next few years he appeared as a guest musician with numerous musicians, Salif Keïta about 1989 album co- Yan, at Zap Mama, with Ketama and Bonnie Raitt. Since 1993 he has played regularly with the Symmetric Orchestra, led his namesake Toumani Diabaté. Between 1998 and 2009 he was one of Habib Koités Bamada band and also attended a joint tour with the Art Ensemble of Chicago part, which became known under the title The Art Ensemble of Africa; together with the musicians from Chicago, he was also at the Akbank Jazz Festival on the stage .. It was not until 2004 he recorded an album under his own name ( Sandiya ). For a year he moved largely withdrew from the music scene.