Biography
Bassekou Kouyaté is a Malian musician who plays the Ngoni, a "spike lute" ancestor of the banjo. The 2007 album Segu Blue won Kouyaté and his band Album of the
Year & African Artist of
the Year in the BBC3
Awards for World Music. The group's second CD I Speak Fula
was the debut release on Sub Pop's Next Ambience imprint. Next
Ambience was co-founded by Jon Kertzer, host of "The Best Ambiance" on
KEXP.BIO:Bassekou Kouyate (born in 1966 in Garana) is a musician from Mali. His band is known as Ngoni Ba. He was born in Garana, Barouéli Cercle, 60 kilometres from Ségou in 1966. At the age of 12, he started playing the Ngoni. In the late 80's he moved to the capital Bamako. Kouyate's album Segu Blue was released internationally in 2007 by Out Here Records and distributed in the U.K. by Proper Music Distribution. The album was produced by Lucy Duran. He has also appeared on a number of albums by Toumani Diabaté and has performed in several European countries. He is currently on tour with Bela Fleck. Kouyate's wife, Ami Sacko, is also a musician and performs in his band. His father Mustapha Kouyaté was a ngoni player and his mother Yagaré Damba was a praise singer.
(via wikipedia 4/29/2010)THE NGONIThe ngoni or "n'goni" is a string instrument originating in West Africa. Its body is made of wood or calabash with dried animal (often goat) skin stretched over it like a drum. In the hands of a skilled ngoni instrumentalist, the ngoni can produce fast rapid melodies. It appears to be closely related to the akonting and the xalam and this instrument family is believed to be the ancestor of the American banjo. This ngoni is called a jeli ngoni, played by jeli's (griots, west-africa's storytellers and musicians) to perform at celebrations and other special occasions to play the traditional songs (fasa's in manding-language). (via wikipedia 4/29/2010)
Year & African Artist of
the Year in the BBC3
Awards for World Music. The group's second CD I Speak Fula
was the debut release on Sub Pop's Next Ambience imprint. Next
Ambience was co-founded by Jon Kertzer, host of "The Best Ambiance" on
KEXP.BIO:Bassekou Kouyate (born in 1966 in Garana) is a musician from Mali. His band is known as Ngoni Ba. He was born in Garana, Barouéli Cercle, 60 kilometres from Ségou in 1966. At the age of 12, he started playing the Ngoni. In the late 80's he moved to the capital Bamako. Kouyate's album Segu Blue was released internationally in 2007 by Out Here Records and distributed in the U.K. by Proper Music Distribution. The album was produced by Lucy Duran. He has also appeared on a number of albums by Toumani Diabaté and has performed in several European countries. He is currently on tour with Bela Fleck. Kouyate's wife, Ami Sacko, is also a musician and performs in his band. His father Mustapha Kouyaté was a ngoni player and his mother Yagaré Damba was a praise singer.
(via wikipedia 4/29/2010)THE NGONIThe ngoni or "n'goni" is a string instrument originating in West Africa. Its body is made of wood or calabash with dried animal (often goat) skin stretched over it like a drum. In the hands of a skilled ngoni instrumentalist, the ngoni can produce fast rapid melodies. It appears to be closely related to the akonting and the xalam and this instrument family is believed to be the ancestor of the American banjo. This ngoni is called a jeli ngoni, played by jeli's (griots, west-africa's storytellers and musicians) to perform at celebrations and other special occasions to play the traditional songs (fasa's in manding-language). (via wikipedia 4/29/2010)
