| Summary: | Mali, the scene of a deadly war that pushed musicians from the North of the country into exile following jihadist attacks in 2013, has always been able to count on the amazing resilience of its artists. Toumani Diabaté, a djeli with long, bejewelled fingers, sits majestically in his white bazin boubou, stringing together the celestial notes of Mandinga Africa on his kora for the 30th edition of the Banlieues Bleues festival. At his side is a cousin, a companion, a storyteller: the Malian singer Kassé Mady Diabaté, whose supernova voice was unfortunately extinguished in May 2018. After playing with Björk, Taj Mahal, and Ali Farka Touré -- winning two Grammy Awards as a duo -- Toumani Diabaté celebrates peace, hope and pan-African unity here, supported by his Symmetric Orchestra's infectious cheerfulness. Jeanne Lacaille.
|
|---|