Bassekou Kouyate

Bassekou Kouyate, Grand Master of the Ngoni

By amplifying the ngoni electrically and using it in pop, blues and rock music, the Malian superstar single-handedly ensured that his instrument conquered the entire world. He plays in the Kleine Zaal with his band Ngoni Ba, including work from his record Miri. An album about love, friendship, family and 'true values' in times of crisis. A musical journey to Bassekou's native village of Garana, a hamlet on the banks of the Niger River.

Ngoni

Bassekou has revolutionaryly created a new life for the ngoni, a distant ancestor of the banjo and one of the oldest stringed instruments in Africa. It has been used for centuries as an orchestral and ceremonial instrument consisting of three strings, a gourd and a wooden stick. By adding strings, developing new playing techniques, amplifying the instrument electrically and experimenting with sound effects such as a wah-wah pedal, Bassekou has put the instrument in the spotlight. In Bassekou's hands, the seemingly limited ngoni has grown into an instrument with a wide melodic range and unlimited possibilities, effortlessly embracing Western styles such as jazz, blues and rock and roll.

Virtuoso collaborations

'Ngoni virtuoso Bassekou Kouyate can make notes bend like light rays in the desert heat.' wrote Time Out Magazine. Kouyate has collaborated with many great musicians in Mali and beyond, including Youssou N'Dour, Ali Farka Toure, Bela Fleck, The Kronos Quartet, Eliades Ochoa, and Damon Albarn, to name a few. He won several BBC Awards for his famous debut album, Segu Blue. He was nominated for a Grammy for the follow-up I Speak Fula and played hundreds of concerts worldwide, sharing the stage with musicians from Paul McCartney to John Paul Jones, Bono and many others.