Bassekou Kouyate is a musician from Mali, Africa and a world-renowned ngoni player. The ngoni is an ancient west-African instrument similar to a guitar or lute. Bassekou is widely regarded as a true master of the instrument. Bassekou Kouyate plays in a band named, “Ngoni Ba.”
Bassekou Kouyate and Ngoni Ba will be playing at The Falcon in Marlboro on February 15, and Universal Preservation Hall in Saratoga Springs on February 16.
Musical influences
In 1982/83, Kouyate left his village and went to Bamako where he began playing with Toumani Diabate, a revered Malian kora player. Working with Toumani, he met many fine musicians.
In 1990 he was invited to a large gathering of banjo players in Tennessee. The trip was monumental as it marked not only his first time leaving Mali, but his first time visiting the U.S. The American banjo players wanted to know where the banjo came from. They knew that the ngoni is considered an ancestor of the banjo, which came from Africa, but wanted to meet someone from Africa who played it and could speak to its history.
It was at this gathering that he first met Taj Mahal and Bela Fleck. (seen below with Taj Mahal in New Orleans in 2023). There were more than 800 banjo & ngoni players together at this gathering. Taj sang the blues for him, and Bassekou returned the favor, which proved to be a very powerful experience for Bassekou and had a huge influence on his approach to playing.
Griots
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3yYmFwGDywGriots speak at marriages, baptisms, funerals, referencing the history and deeds of the family in question. They are there to help resolve problems between husband and wife, or neighbors, or friends.
Nick Motto: What does it mean to you to be a griot?
Bassekou: Griots are the guardians of tradition in Bamana society in Mali. I am very proud to carry on that tradition.
Bassekou’s father, grandfather, and back hundreds of years, were all griots, and he knows that history well. In fact, His family was the first to be counsellors to the founding king of the Malian Empire, the famous Sundiata Keita, in the 12th century.
Ngoni Ba: One cannot become a griot, one has to be born into a griot family. The lineages of current griots in Mali can be traced back hundreds of years.
Bassekou: Being a griot is like being a mayor. People come and ask for help, and as a griot it is your duty to help them.
Collaborations
Bassekou loved playing music with his father and grandfather. Their notes were organically in synch with one another.
He also adored playing with Ali Farka Touré, who he says “had a good heart”.
Ali told him, “The black world now knows you are here,” urged him to develop his career and offered to help him find a good producer. He invited Bassekou to play on his Savane album after a mere 10 minutes of rehearsal, telling Bassekou that it was “his turn now”.
Bassekou highly values his collaboration with Béla Fleck who he says “plays fluidly and flawlessly”.
Taj Mahal is like family to Bassekou. And because Taj looks like Sekou Batourou Kouyate – a close relative who was an extraordinary ngoni and kora player – Bassekou sees him as a ‘brother’ from West African ancestry. “It’s as if we had the same mother, same father, …. He’s like a big brother to me and I love to collaborate with him.”
To find out more information about Bassekou Kouyate, his future shows and musical releases, visit his website here.
To purchase tickets for Bassekou and Ngoni Ba at Universal Preservation Hall in Saratoga Springs, visit here.
