Habib Koité

Habib Koité was born in the Kayes region to the west of Mali. He is a member of the long line of Khassonké griots. A grandfather who was a virtuoso djely n’goni player (a traditional four-stringed instrument linked to the Wassolou region hunters), a guitarist father and a “griotte” mother who accompanied the traditional ceremonies of Mali life (births, marriages, deaths) all the conditions were there for Habib to take up the musical torch.

“No-one really taught me how to sing or play the guitar… I watched my parents and it rubbed off on me”, remembers the singer-songwriter-guitarist. And yet the young man’s inbred talent did not impress his parents who aimed for him to go into engineering. Thanks, however, to the perseverance of his uncle they finally agreed to let him join the National Institute of the Arts (INA) in Bamako. Habib studied music there and, after just six months of classes, was chosen to lead the prestigious school orchestra “Star”.

Four years later in 1982, the former student became one of the Institute’s guitar teachers, and remained so until 1998. Habib took advantage of this long stint of teaching to frequent a great number of renowned Malian musicians. They included the balafon player Kélétigui Diabaté and Toumani Diabaté (a master of the kora). While the former currently plays with Koité, the latterinvited him to feature on the wonderful album “Shake the World” (1991). In 1988, Habib Koité formed the group Bamada with a group of childhood friends (the name literally means “in the mouth of the crocodile”, Bamako being the crocodile). This band continues to play with him to this day. Amongst the musicians were the excellent traditional percussionist Baba Sissoko - also member of an ancient line of griots - Souleymane Ann on the drums and vocals and Abdoul Wahab Berthe playing bass. The finalmember is Boubacar Sidibé on the guitar, harmonica and vocals. Together they set out to take the country’s venues by storm, forging their musical identity, somewhere between traditional Malian folklore and Western influences (blues, flamenco, Cuban music).

1991 was a pivotal year for the artist. Helped by a French friend (Maurice Cimalando), Koité went to Perpignan and won first prize in Voxpole Festival, which made it possible for him to record two songs, including “Cigarette A Bana” ("no more cigarettes"), a hit all over West Africa. His second single, "Nanalé" (The nightingale), helped him win the Discoveries" prize, sponsored by Radio France Internationale (RFI) in 1993. It opened new horizons for him. In the summer of 1994 Habib went on his first tour outside Africa (Francofolies in Spa and in la Rochelle, Cactus festival in Bruges, Festival des Nuits d'Afrique in Montreal...).Thanks to his friendship with Souleymane Koly (director of the Koteba Ensemble), he met his future manager-producer, Michel De Bock, founder of the artistic agency Contre-Jour.

This decisive encounter finally led him to record his first album, Muso Ko, released during the MASA (Marché des Arts du Spectacle Africain) in Abidjan. He then left on a world tour (Europe, United-States, Canada and Africa). Rapidly, Habib Koité & Bamada set down their own timeless style, of compositions nurtured by Mali’s numerous traditions and lyrics marked by traditions of fable and allegory. When speaking of his music, Habib willingly uses terms such as "danssa-doso", a Bambara neologism, combining the name of a popular rhythm from his native town of Kayes with the word used to describe the hunters’ music (doso), one of the country’s most ancient and powerful musical traditions.

More acoustic and introspective than its predecessor, Ma Ya (The Human Being) his second album released in 1998, topped the world music charts of European and American radios, establishing the Malian group’s reputation as one of West Africa’s best. Once again on the road in 2000, the singer crossed path with the Art Ensemble of Chicago and the great Malian diva Oumou Sangaré. He also bowled over Jackson Browne and Bonnie Raitt, who became his finest ambassadors in the United States.

In Baro (the band’s third album), released in 2001 and distributed by Putumayo World Music, the Malian group reworked the hit "Cigarette A Bana" with a Latino vibe, underlining the influence of Cuban music in Africa and particularly in Mali (in the Sixties). In 2003, Koité brought out Fôly, and in 2007 released Afriki. This coproduction between Contre-Jour and Cumbancha features the sensitive meeting between Mali’s griot traditions and the blues/soul music of the US. It was one of the most popular world music albums of the year.

With a mellow and soothing voice, and joyful and subtle melodies, Habib Koité, our modern day griot, has not yet finished bewitching us.

April 23rd, 2008

Jérôme Sandlarz & Daniel Brown.