Bassekou Kouate & Ngoni Ba November 5, 2011

Bassekou Kouyate is one of the true masters of the ngoni, an ancient traditional lute similar to the American banjo found throughout West Africa, and has collaborated with many musicians in and outside of Mali. Bassekou has played in the Symmetric trio alongside Toumani Diabate (kora) and Keletigui Diabate (balafon). He was part of Taj Mahal’s and Toumani Diabate’s ‘Kulanjan’ project, as well as being one of the key musicians on Ali Farka Touré’s posthumous album ‘Savane’ which was released July 2006 (whose son appears with Idan Raichel at the Rialto on April 21st). In 2010, he appeared at the Rialto with Bela Fleck as part of the Africa Project tracing the roots of the banjo through Africa.