Mamadou Diabate August 6, 2008

Mamadou Diabate is one of the world's great masters of the kora, a 21 stringed West African harp. From a long line of jelis (the West African musician caste) in Mali, Mamadou's musical lineage goes back seven centuries. He is an adventurous composer and virtuoso who combines the traditional with all manner of musical styles, having performed with jazz luminaries Donald Byrd and Randy Weston, blues masters Eric Bibb and Guy Davis and Zimbabwean legend Thomas Mapfumo.