The West African nation of Mali is one of the poorest countries in the world. But what it lacks in material wealth it more than makes up for in musical richness. One of its national treasures is the guitarist Habib Koite, a star in world music circles. Habib was born into a musical caste, an eight hundred year old line of griots, or Malian minstrels.
As a singer and songwriter, he distills his country’s diverse, regional styles, creating a universal Malian music that speaks to and for the entire country. He then takes these traditional sounds and adds modern elements from rock and blues to create his own celebrated sound and style. Habib Koite, Mali’s modern musical ambassador.
Habib will be performing a the Somerville Theater this Sunday, February 9, at 7:00 pm.
Guests:
Habib Koite, guitarist, singer, songwriter
Mamadou Kone, percussionist
Banning Eyre, author of “In Griot Time: An American Guitarist in Mali.”