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Djeli Moussa Diawara (born February 1962) is a kora player ( Korafola), composer and singer.


Biography

Djeli Moussa Diawara (also spelled as ''Jali Musa Jawara'') was born to a
Griot A griot (; ; Manding languages, Manding: or (in N'Ko script, N'Ko: , or in French spelling); also spelt Djali; or / ; ) is a West African historian, storyteller, praise singer, poet, and/or musician. Griots are masters of communicatin ...
family in
Kankan Kankan ( Mandingo: Kánkàn; N’ko: ߞߊ߲ߞߊ߲߫) is the largest city in Guinea in land area, and the third largest in population, with a population of 198,013 people as of 2020. The city is located in eastern Guinea about east of the ...
, Guinea. His father was a
balafon The balafon (pronounced , or, by analogy with ''xylophone'' etc., ) is a gourd-resonated xylophone, a type of struck idiophone. It is closely associated with the neighbouring Mandé peoples, Mandé, Bwaba Bobo people, Bobo, Senufo people, Seno ...
player, and his mother a singer. His half-brother, sharing the same mother, was Mory Kanté. He is a "jali," or "djeli", a Mandinka word for
griot A griot (; ; Manding languages, Manding: or (in N'Ko script, N'Ko: , or in French spelling); also spelt Djali; or / ; ) is a West African historian, storyteller, praise singer, poet, and/or musician. Griots are masters of communicatin ...
. He learnt to play the
balafon The balafon (pronounced , or, by analogy with ''xylophone'' etc., ) is a gourd-resonated xylophone, a type of struck idiophone. It is closely associated with the neighbouring Mandé peoples, Mandé, Bwaba Bobo people, Bobo, Senufo people, Seno ...
, the kora and the guitar. At 18 he played with his half-brother, who left the Rail Band, in
Abidjan Abidjan ( , ; N'Ko script, N'ko: ߊߓߌߖߊ߲߬) is the largest city and the former capital of Ivory Coast. As of the Demographics of Ivory Coast, 2021 census, Abidjan's population was 6.3 million, which is 21.5 percent of the overall population ...
, Ivory Coast. Starting his solo career, he worked with Djenne Doumbia, a singer who later joined Salif Keita's group. In 1983, his first LP '' Yasimika'' was recorded and published in Abidjan. It was then re-released in Europe on various record and was positively reviewed, particularly in France and the United Kingdom. His ''Flamenkora'' album was published in 1998, offering a rich blend of styles, from his Mandingo roots to
Flamenco Flamenco () is an art form based on the various folkloric music traditions of southern Spain, developed within the Gitanos, gitano subculture of the region of Andalusia, and also having historical presence in Extremadura and Region of Murcia, ...
. In 2000, Djeli Moussa recorded the album ''Ocean Blues – from Africa to Hawaï'' with
Bob Brozman Bob Brozman (March 8, 1954 – April 23, 2013) was an American guitarist and ethnomusicologist. Biography Brozman was born to a Jewish family in Long Island, New York, and began playing the guitar when he was six. He was an adjunct professor ...
. The album, which was recorded in single day in Santa Cruz, combined the styles of
West African music The music of West Africa has a significant history, and its varied sounds reflect the wide range of influences from the area's regions and historical periods. Traditional West African music varies due to the regional separation of West Africa, y ...
and
Hawaiian music The music of Hawaii includes an array of traditional and popular styles, ranging from native Hawaiian folk music to modern rock and hip hop. Styles like slack-key guitar are well known worldwide, while Hawaiian-tinged music is a frequent par ...
. The album received good reviews. Since then, he founded Kora Jazz Trio, joined by Abdoulaye Diabaté (sénégal) (piano) and Moussa Cissoko (drums). Djeli Moussa composed most of the tracks, particularly those on which he sings, and he played the kora and sometimes the guitar on the three albums released so far (Part I, II, & III). Diawara left the Kora Jazz Tio in 2010. Singer and musician, Djeli Moussa developed an intimate relationship with his 32-stringed kora, which is unique and was adapted at his request from the 21-stringed traditional Kora. He is able to adapt to many different rhythms, from traditional mandingo to salsa, flamenco, blues and jazz. He has worked with many artists, including Ali Farka Touré,
Carlos Santana Carlos Humberto Santana Barragán (; born July 20, 1947) is an American guitarist, best known as a founding member of the Rock music, rock band Santana (band), Santana. Born and raised in Mexico where he developed his musical background, he r ...
, Manu Dibango, Janice deRosa, Stephan Eicher, and
Cheick Tidiane Seck Cheick Tidiane Seck (born December 11, 1953) is a Malian musician, arranger and composer. He has written for and played with African artists including Fela Kuti, Mory Kanté, Salif Keita, Youssou N'Dour and for jazz bands (Hank Jones, Dee Dee ...
.


Discography


Solo

* 1983 – '' Yasimika'' (LP – republished as CD in 1991) * 1988 – ''Soubindoor'' (World Circuit) * 1992 – ''Cimadan'' * 1996 – ''Sobindo'' * 1998 – ''Flamenkora'' * 2000 – ''Ocean Blues – from Africa to Hawaï'' with
Bob Brozman Bob Brozman (March 8, 1954 – April 23, 2013) was an American guitarist and ethnomusicologist. Biography Brozman was born to a Jewish family in Long Island, New York, and began playing the guitar when he was six. He was an adjunct professor ...
* 2006 – ''Sini'' * 2010 – '' Yasimika (Abidjan 1982)'', remastered version of Djeli Moussa's first album * 2011 – ''Yékéké (Paris 2010)''


With Kora Jazz Trio

* 2003 – ''Part I'' * 2005 – ''Part II'' * 2008 – ''Part III''


Miscellaneous

* 1985 –
Johnny Copeland John Clyde Copeland (March 27, 1937 – July 3, 1997) was an American Texas blues guitarist and singer. In 1983, he was named Blues Entertainer of the Year by the Blues Foundation. He is the father of blues singer Shemekia Copeland. In 2017, ...
– Djeli Moussa composed and played Djeli, Djeli Blues as Johnny's Special Guest, on "Bringin' It All Back Home" * 2009 –
Mayra Andrade Mayra Andrade (born 13 February 1985) is a Cape Verdean singer who lives and records in Lisbon, Portugal. Background Andrade was born in Havana, Cuba, to parents from Cape Verde, and she and her family returned to Cape Verde a few days after he ...
"Stória, stória..." * 2006 – OST for Eliane de Latour movie "Après l'océan" – song Kanta * 2005 – OST by Manu Dibango for Michel Ocelot French animated feature film " Kirikou et les bêtes sauvages"


References


External links

* (Archived by the
Wayback Machine The Wayback Machine is a digital archive of the World Wide Web founded by Internet Archive, an American nonprofit organization based in San Francisco, California. Launched for public access in 2001, the service allows users to go "back in ...
)
Djeli Moussa Diawara's Youtube Channel

Djeli Moussa Diawara on Soundcloud

Djeli Moussa Diawara's MySpace Page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Diawara, Djeli Moussa 1962 births Living people Guinean male singers Guinean Kora players People from Kankan