Djeli Moussa Diawara, born 1962 in

Kankan Kankan ( Mandingo: Kánkàn; N’ko: ߞߊ߲ߞߊ߲߫) is the largest city in Guinea in land area, and the third largest in population, with a population of 1 980 130 people as of 2020. The city is located in eastern Guinea about east of the ...

, Guinea, is a Kora player ( Korafola), composer and singer.

Biography

Djeli Moussa Diawara (also known as ''Jali Musa Jawara'') was born to a

Griot A griot (; ; Manding: jali or jeli (in N'Ko: , ''djeli'' or ''djéli'' in French spelling); Serer: kevel or kewel / okawul; Wolof: gewel) is a West African historian, storyteller, praise singer, poet, and/or musician. The griot is a repos ...

family. His father was a

balafon The balafon is a gourd-resonated xylophone, a type of struck idiophone. It is closely associated with the neighbouring Mandé, Senoufo and Gur peoples of West Africa, particularly the Guinean branch of the Mandinka ethnic group, but is now f ...

player, and his mother a singer. His half-brother, sharing the same mother, was

Mory Kanté Mory Kanté (29 March 195022 May 2020) was a Guinean vocalist and player of the kora harp. He was best known internationally for his 1987 hit song " Yé ké yé ké", which reached number-one in Belgium, Finland, the Netherlands, and Spain. Th ...

. He is a "jali," or "djeli", a Mandinka word for

griot A griot (; ; Manding: jali or jeli (in N'Ko: , ''djeli'' or ''djéli'' in French spelling); Serer: kevel or kewel / okawul; Wolof: gewel) is a West African historian, storyteller, praise singer, poet, and/or musician. The griot is a repos ...

. He learnt to play the

, the kora and the guitar. At 18 he played with his half-brother, who left the Rail Band, in

Abidjan Abidjan ( , ; N’ko: ߊߓߌߖߊ߲߬) is the economic capital of the Ivory Coast. As of the 2021 census, Abidjan's population was 6.3 million, which is 21.5 percent of overall population of the country, making it the sixth most populous city p ...

, Côte d'Ivoire. Starting his solo career, he worked with Djenne Doumbia, a singer who later joined

Salif Keita Salif Keïta () (born 25 August 1949) is a Malian singer-songwriter, referred to as the "Golden Voice of Africa". He is a member of the Keita royal family of Mali. Biography Early life Salif Keita was born a traditional prince in the village o ...

's group. In 1982, his first LP '' Yasimika'' was recorded. Then, he left for Europe. England first for a tour where he shared the stage with Ali Farka Touré, and finally settled in Paris. His ''Flamenkora'' album was published in 1998, offering a rich blend of styles, from his Mandingo roots to

Flamenco Flamenco (), in its strictest sense, is an art form based on the various folkloric music traditions of southern Spain, developed within the gitano subculture of the region of Andalusia, and also having historical presence in Extremadura and ...

. In 2000, Djeli Moussa recorded "Ocean Blues – from Africa to Hawaï" with Bob Brozman, which received good reviews. Since then, he founded Kora Jazz Trio, joined by Abdoulaye Diabaté (sénégal) (piano) and Moussa Cissoko (drums). Djeli Moussa composed most of the tracks, particularly those on which he sings, and he played the kora and sometimes the guitar on the three albums released so far (Part I, II, & III). Singer and musician, Djeli Moussa developed an intimate relationship with his 32-stringed Kora, which is unique and was adapted at his request from the 21-stringed traditional Kora. He is able to adapt to many different rhythms, from traditional mandingo to salsa, flamenco, blues and jazz. He has worked with many artists, including Ali Farka Touré, Carlos Santana, Manu Dibango, Janice deRosa, Stephan Eicher, and Cheick Tidiane Seck.

Discography

Solo *1983 '' Yasimika'' (LP – republished as CD in 1991) *1988 ''Soubindoor'' (World Circuit) *1992 ''Cimadan'' *1996 ''Sobindo'' *1998 ''Flamenkora'' *2000 ''Ocean Blues – from Africa to Hawaï'' with Bob Brozman *2006 ''Sini'' *2010 '' Yasimika (Abidjan 1982)'', remastered version of Djeli Moussa's first album *2011 ''Yékéké (Paris 2010)'' With Kora Jazz Trio *2003 ''Part I'' *2005 ''Part II'' *2008 ''Part III'' Miscellaneous *1985 –

Johnny Copeland John Clyde Copeland (March 27, 1937 – July 3, 1997) was an American Texas blues guitarist and singer. In 1983, he was named Blues Entertainer of the Year by the Blues Foundation. He is the father of blues singer Shemekia Copeland. In 2017, Co ...

– Djeli Moussa composed and played Djeli, Djeli Blues as Johnny's Special Guest, on "Bringin' It All Back Home" *2009 – Mayra Andrade "Stória, stória..." *2006 – OST for Eliane de Latour movie "Après l'océan" – song Kanta *2005 – OST by Manu Dibango for Michel Ocelot French animated feature film " Kirikou et les bêtes sauvages"

External links

Djeli Moussa Diawara's Youtube ChannelDjeli Moussa Diawara on SoundcloudDjeli Moussa Diawara's MySpace Page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Diawara, Djeli Moussa 1962 births Living people Guinean male singers Guinean Kora players People from Kankan