The kora (the long-necked, 21-string Mande harp of West Africa) brings a truly heavenly sound to the human ear. The sound is a cross between a traditional harp and a classical guitar, with a distinctively indigenous West African flavor.

Few play the kora better than Mamadou Diabate. This Malian musician, composer and arranger is a member of the Mandinka West African jeli (musician caste) family. His musical lineage goes back seven centuries to the time of Sunjata Keita, the conqueror of the Malian empire.

Mamadou Diabate was born in Mali in 1975 to a family of griots (or storytellers) and performers who consider it an ancestral duty to preserve memories of the past through music, song and oratory. With a father who played kora in the Instrumental Ensemble of Mali, Mamadou began performing on the instrument at a very early age. His second solo album, the Grammy-nominated Behmanka, is titled for a song his grandfather taught him.

Other members of the Mamadou Diabate include Noah Jarrett (seen here on acoustic bass), Baye Kouyate (calabash and talking drum), Balia Kouyate (balafon), and Djikorya Mory Kante (guitar).