Toumani DiabatΓ© obituary
The Malian master of the kora who delighted in performing with musicians from other traditions and countries
The Malian musician Toumani DiabatΓ©, who has died aged 58 after a short illness, was the undisputed master of the kora, the stately and stirring 21-stringed harp that is the most important classical instrument of west Africa. He played at festivals and concert halls around the world, and worked both as a soloist and with a remarkable array of other artists, ranging from his own Symmetric Orchestra to the guitarist Ali Farka TourΓ©, the London Symphony Orchestra, and musicians from Spain, Cuba and Brazil.
Coming from a caste of traditional musicians and historians, the griots, he traced his family back 71 generations to the era when the Mande empire controlled much of west Africa.
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