Biography
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Born
1975 (age 49)
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Born In
Kayes, Mali
Diabaté was born in Kita, Mali, a town relatively near to Mali's capital of Bamako, known for its artistic and cultural prominence within the Manding community of West Africa. He was born into a family of griots, with his father, Djelimory Diabaté, also a kora musician and a member of the Instrumental Ensemble of Mali. He moved to Bamako at four years old with his father, but returned to his birthplace to attend school. He began playing the kora, a 21-string harp, at a very young age, and became so enthralled with the instrument that his mother eventually forbade him to play it in order to do academic work, though he quickly began attempts to make one himself. After he had left school to further pursue the instrument, Diabaté began to perform at various public events such as baptisms and weddings. He had won several music competitions by the time he was 15, and was becoming somewhat of a regional celebrity by that time as well, having performed for several important personages.
At 16 he went to Bamako again, this time to study the kora with his cousin, the musician Toumani Diabaté. In 1996, he went on to travel with a group of the Instrumental Ensemble of Mali, and eventually settled in the United States, first in New York City, then in Durham, North Carolina.
Since his move to the U.S., Diabaté has performed with several musicians from the country, including jazz players Randy Weston and Donald Byrd, as well as with a griot ensemble composed of musicians from Mali and the United States. In 2005, Diabaté was nominated for a Grammy Award, but lost to his cousin, Toumani. He received a second nomination in 2010 in the Best Traditional World Music category for his album Douga Mansa, and won his first Grammy award on January 31, 2010.
Diabaté should not be confused with the balafon player of the same name from Burkina Faso. For information on the other Mamadou Diabaté, refer to his website. Note that the discography attributed to Mamadou Diabaté at Allmusic (see link below) is effectively a joint discography for the two musicians. Diabaté win the Grammy Award for Best Tradition Music January 31,2010
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