November 8

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Malian guitarist Habib Koité is one of Africa’s most popular and recognized musicians. Habib comes from a noble line of Khassonké griots, traditional troubadours who provide wit, wisdom and musical entertainment at social gatherings and special events. Habib inherited his passion for music from his paternal grandfather who played the kamele n’goni, a traditional four-stringed instrument associated with hunters from the Wassolou region of Mali, and developed his unique guitar style accompanying his griot mother. Habib takes some unique approaches to playing the guitar. He tunes his instrument to the pentatonic scale and plays on open strings as one would on a kamale n'goni. At other times Habib plays music that sounds closer to the blues or Afro-Cuban jazz, styles he studied under Khalilou Traoré, a veteran of the legendary Afro-Cuban band Maravillas du Mali. Unlike the griots, Habib’s singing style is restrained and intimate with varying cadenced rhythms and melodies. In 1988, Habib formed his own group, Bamada (a nickname for residents of Bamako that roughly translates "in the mouth of the crocodile"). With more than 400,000 albums sold, more than 1,700 concerts around the world, Habib has built, step by step, an exemplary career, with always a foot firmly rooted in Malian culture.

Habibkoite.com