Singer, guitarist brings the music of Mali to Union Theater

Malian superstar Habib Koité, “praised by everyone from Joan Baez to Bonnie Raitt and Jackson Browne,” according to the Los Angeles Times, will perform in the Wisconsin Union Theater on Friday, Feb. 18. The show will be followed by a dance party, free to ticket holders, with Malian musician and singer Tani Diakite and Friends.

Koité (KWA-tee) comes from a noble line of Khassonké griots, the oral historians of West Africa who for generations have been transmitting their peoples’ stories and history through music. The New York Times describes his guitar playing as “almost mythical, combining rock and classical techniques with Malian tunings.” He developed it accompanying his griot mother and paternal grandfather who played the djelly n’goni, a traditional instrument associated with hunters from the Wassolou region of Mali. Koité enrolled at the National Institute of Arts in Bamako, Mali’s capital, in 1978 and was named conductor of its prestigious band six months later, graduating at the top of his class in 1982.

In 1988, Koité formed his own group, Bamada (a nickname for residents of Bamako that, roughly translated, means “in the mouth of the crocodile”). In 1991, he won first prize at the Voxpole Festival in Perpignan, France, and later the prestigious Radio France International Discoveries prize. In spring 2000, he toured Europe and Turkey with the legendary avant-garde jazz group, the Art Ensemble of Chicago.

Koité’s second album, Ma Ya, was released in Europe in 1998 to widespread acclaim and spent an unprecedented three months at the top spot on the World Music Charts Europe.

Koité takes unique approaches to playing the guitar. He tunes his instrument to the pentatonic scale and plays on open strings as one would on a kamale n’goni. At other times, he plays music that sounds closer to the blues or flamenco, two styles he studied under Khalilou Traoré, a veteran of the legendary Afro-Cuban band Maravillas du Mali.

Mali has rich and diverse musical traditions, with many regional variations and styles particular to local cultures. Koité and his band, which is made up of musicians from various ethnic groups, bring together different styles, creating a new pan-Malian approach.

The performance will be followed by a Union Theater dance party. Live music with Malian musician and singer Tani Diakite and Friends, refreshments and door prizes will be offered free of charge to ticket holders.

The show is sponsored by the Wisconsin Union Directorate Theater Committee with additional support from WORT, 89.9 FM. Tickets start at $18; UW–Madison student tickets are $10. For more information, call the box office at (608) 262-2201.