Djembe - Mamadou Kanté | zh

AnnenMayKantereit is an indie pop group from Cologne, Germany. .

Manfila was born into a jali family and played balafon and guitar as a child. He joined Les Ballets Africains, moved to Bamako during the '60s and joined the Rail Band, which featured Salif Keita and Mory Kante at the time. He and Keita moved over to Les Ambassadeurs in the early '70s, beginning a fruitful collaborative relationship. Both pursued solo careers in the '80s, with Manfila moving to Paris and recording in both small, traditional groups and big dance bands. .

Kerfala Kanté was born a griot. Son of Soungarou Kemo Kanté and Yansana Kourouma, he started playing balafon since young age. When he was 15 years old, he took up the acoustic guitar and soon this instrument too had no secrets for him. He played at ceremonies such as weddings and christening parties. His talent had been recognised and he joined the Tropical Djoli Band in 1980. During that period he was successful with a song he had wrote, « Deni Kéléni ». In 1984, he was asked to join one of the big orchestras, Balla et ses Balladins created...

Mamadou Diabaté was born in 1975 in Kita, a Malian city long known as a center for the arts and culture of the Manding people of West Africa. As the name Diabate indicates, Mamadou comes from a family of griots, or jelis as they are known among the Manding. Jelis are more than just traditional musicians. They use music and sometimes oratory to preserve and sustain people's consciousness of the past, a past that stretches back to the 13th century when the Manding king Sunjata Keita consolidated the vast Empire of Mali, covering much of West Africa. The stories of...