Abdoulaye Diabaté is a singer and guitarist who was born to a

griot A griot (; ; Manding languages, Manding: or (in N'Ko script, N'Ko: , or in French spelling); also spelt Djali; or / ; ) is a West African historian, storyteller, praise singer, poet, and/or musician. Griots are masters of communicatin ...

family in Kela,

Mali Mali, officially the Republic of Mali, is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is the List of African countries by area, eighth-largest country in Africa, with an area of over . The country is bordered to the north by Algeria, to the east b ...

in 1956.Adoulaye Diabaté, singer
, ''fula flute music''. 2002. Retrieved 2 June 2007.
''Completely Nuts Records''. Retrieved 2 June 2004.DJOSS DIABATE: Haklima
''CD BABY''. Retrieved 2 June 2007. He has at least twenty years of experience in contemporary and popular music.
''fula flute music''. 2002. Retrieved 2 June 2007.

Life

Abdoulaye Diabaté was raised in the Manding tradition to a djali family (traditional musicians and story tellers). His brother

Kassé Mady Diabaté Kassé Mady Diabaté (1949, in Kela, Kangaba, Mali – May 24, 2018, in Bamako) was a Malian singer, musician and griot. His soft and particular voice with deep undertones – an atypical characteristic for a griot – earned him the nickname "T ...

has achieved worldwide fame and his sister Mama Diabate is a great star in

Guinea Guinea, officially the Republic of Guinea, is a coastal country in West Africa. It borders the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Guinea-Bissau to the northwest, Senegal to the north, Mali to the northeast, Côte d'Ivoire to the southeast, and Sier ...

. He is a nephew of a notable Malian griot Siramori Diabaté. At age 18, having developed into a formidable singer and guitarist he left his village. He joined Tenetemba Jazz in Bamako, the capital of

. In 1975, he moved to

Abidjan Abidjan ( , ; N'Ko script, N'ko: ߊߓߌߖߊ߲߬) is the largest city and the former capital of Ivory Coast. As of the Demographics of Ivory Coast, 2021 census, Abidjan's population was 6.3 million, which is 21.5 percent of the overall population ...

Ivory Coast Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire and officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital city of Yamoussoukro is located in the centre of the country, while its largest List of ci ...

where he formed his own band called ''Super Mande''. Super Mande became one of the foremost ensembles in the capital performing all over the country. At times, some now most famous West African stars such as

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. Early life Salif Keita was born a traditional prince in the village of Djolib ...

Mory Kante Mory may refer to: Places Three communes of France: *Mory, Pas-de-Calais in the Pas-de-Calais ''département'' * Mory-Montcrux in the Oise ''département'' *Mitry-Mory in the Seine-et-Marne ''département'' Two locations in Poland: * Mory, Puł ...

and Ousmane Kouyate joined the group for performances. The career of Super Mande culminated with the release of their album ''Wahabiadashi'' which was eventually banned from airplay because the title track criticized hypocritical

Marabouts In the Muslim world, the marabout () is a descendant of Muhammad (Arabic: سـيّد, romanized: ''sayyid'' and ''sidi'' in the Maghreb) and a Muslim religious leader and teacher who historically had the function of a chaplain serving as a par ...

(religious leaders). In the early nineties, Diabate was recruited as a star singer in the world-renowned "Ballet Koteba" led by Souleymane Koly to replace Sekou Camara "Cobra" after his death; and also as rhythm-guitarist with the "Go de Koteba" the world-famous women group. He toured the world with these ensemble for several years. In 1996, he relocated in New York City. He has since taken part in many cultural events as leader of the re-formed Super Mande group and with many collaborations with artists such as jazzman

Don Byron Donald Byron (born November 8, 1958) is an American composer and multi-instrumentalist. He primarily plays clarinet but has also played bass clarinet and saxophone in a variety of genres that includes free jazz and klezmer. Biography His moth ...

Peter Apfelbaum Peter Noah Apfelbaum (born August 21, 1960) is an American avant-garde jazz pianist, tenor saxophonist, drummer, and composer born in Berkeley, California. Career Apfelbaum formed the Hieroglyphics Ensemble in 1977. He performed with Carla Bley ...

, Sean Noonan, and the groups

Source Source may refer to: Research * Historical document * Historical source * Source (intelligence) or sub source, typically a confidential provider of non open-source intelligence * Source (journalism), a person, publication, publishing institute ...

and Fula Flute Ensemble. In 2009, he released the album "SARA" on Completely Nuts records which features eight original compositions performed in a traditional style. Diabaté's son is a rapper professionally known as Smooky MarGielaa.

Religious interest

Abdoulaye Diabate is a devout Muslim. Any reference to his being involved with the Raelian movement are erroneous. The name "Abdoulaye Diabate" is relatively common in West Africa.

Discography

"SARA" (2009) By Abdoulaye Diabate "Mansa America" (2008) By Fula Flute "Stories to Tell" (2007) By Sean Noonan's Brewed by Noon "Boxing Dreams" (2008) By Sean Noonan's Brewed by Noon "Being Brewed by Noon" (2008) By Sean Noonan's Brewed by Noon "Tonight's African Jazz Band" (2006) by Source w/ Abdoulaye Diabate Haklima (2005) # Haklima # Sinikan # Nama # Wunafaki # Kobaragna # Fasoka # Mososroni # Djougouya # Babani # Iloyoro "IT IS WRITTEN" (2005) BY Peter Apfelbaum & the New York Hieroglyphics "MANDEN JALIYA IN NEW YORK CITY" (2002) Smithsonian Folkways compilation (contains several tracks by Super Manden) "WAHABIADACHI" by Super Mande

References

Sean Noonan's Brewed by Noon featuring Abdoulaye Diabate https://www.seannoonanmusic.com/brewed-by-noon-afro-celtic-jazz

External links

Podcast featuring Abdoulaye Diabate on WKCR 89.9 NY-FM
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Diabate, Abdoulaye 21st-century Malian male singers Living people People from Koulikoro Region Year of birth missing (living people) 20th-century Malian male singers