Djeli Moussa Diawara

Rank #11 Paris, FR World / Jazz / Mande/Blues/Cuban...

About

Members: Can play solo or as a trio (Jazz or Mandé)

Sounds Like: Mory Kanté, Salif Keita Official Fan Page, Toumani Diabate, Mamani Keita, Oumou Sangare

Label: CybearSonic

Bio: Djeli Moussa Diawara, born in 1962 in Kankan (Guinea) is a Kora player (Korafola), a composer and singer, as well as a Griot.

In 1983, his first LP, now known as "Yasimika", is released in Abidjan, where he just joined his half-brother Mory Kante. It's still nowadays considered a great piece of ... See Full Bio

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Status

: Previous post....: Nouvel album : Ecoutez Makoura ! http://t.co/dnj5yjAETv #Chanteur

Press

“About Yasimika: Gorgeous, gorgeous and gorgeous again. Wide open spaces of the mind. Both me and Charlie Gillett were chasing this for our labels. With little cash I was scared to get in a bidding war, so pulled back. He had the good grace to thank me and it came out on his Oval label for a period, and later on Joe Boyd's Hannibal Records.”

— Iain Scott, 80s World Music Classics booklet (2011)

“About Yasimika: Released in the UK on the late Charlie Gillett's Oval label, this 1982 Abidjan recording of a perfectly matched line-up of kora, balafon, acoustic guitar and harmony vocals just knocked everybody sideways. Eventually released by 5 different labels in France, the UK and USA over the years, this legendary album tops many world music fans' desert island lists, as it does mine.”

— Ian Anderson, 80s World Music classics booklet (2011)

“La palme du swing [revient] à la kora au long cours de Djeli Moussa Diawara [...]”

— Eliane Azoulay, telerama.fr

“Critique d'OCEAN BLUES : "[...] Avec les arpèges aériens de Djelimoussa, Bob Brozman trouve le parfait contrepoint à ses guitares hawaïennes, à son blues grasseyant ; et l'Africain, qui est aussi guitariste, s'amuse parfois à le suivre en plaquant des accords. Comment peut-on plaquer un accord à la kora ? Théoriquement, l'instrument est calé entre les deux pouces, mais Djeli Moussa a mis au point une technique pour lâcher une main et jouer en "strumming". Il faut voir ses mains voler et claquer, ses doigts dérouler les notes pressées. Parfois il s'élance dans un solo précis et débridé à la fois, joignant la rigueur d'un Batourou [Sékou Kouyaté] à l'arrogante liberté des riffs griots. [...]"”

— Libération (French newspaper)

“[...] Alors que les jazzmen récupèrent les grooves latins ou africains pour ancrer leurs solos, les bluesmen, eux, se tournent ver les soloistes. Ce qui les fait craquer, ce sont ces improvisateurs impénitents, sorciers de l'outrancier et de l'inattendu, que l'on rencontre dans les cours des villages d'Afrique. Djeli Moussa est de ceux-là, et s'il entreprend une carrière sérieuse, il est sûr que ses pairs américains le reconnaîtront. Le jazz est né au pays Mandingue au XIIIe siècle.”

— Libération (French newspaper)

“Praise for OCEAN BLUES: "With either Diawara or Brozman, one would expect nothing less than a dazzling, vibrant, tasteful album, and OCEAN BLUES delivers all that to the power of two." - DIRTY LINEN "On OCEAN BLUES concept and realization come together with spectacular results to produce one of the albums of the year [...]" " [...] much in the style of last year's splendid collaboration between Taj Mahal and Toumani Diabate on Kulanjan... OCEAN BLUES is arguably an even finer album, for the interplay between the slide and Hawaiian guitars of Brozman and Diawara's kora seems more natural and better integrated." - SONGLINES MAGAZINE (UK) "The clear sense of fun that comes through the speakers reaffirms the idea of music as a single universal language." - SONIC.NET”

— Misc. publications

“Magicien de la kora et chanteur, Djeli Moussa Diawara renoue avec sa carrière solo en publiant Sini, un album à la mesure de l’ambivalence de cet artiste guinéen : attaché à faire une musique populaire, mais conscient que sa virtuosité le coupe parfois de son public africain. Il n’hésite pas à faire le grand écart en passant d’un registre à l’autre.”

— Bertrand Lavaine, RFI Musique

“[...] Two koras, a balafon, and a splendid female chorus backing Jawara's lead make for a deserved best-seller among Africans in France. This is contemporary-traditional Mandingo music, purely and wonderfully performed and admirably recorded.”

— John Storm Roberts, All Music Guide

“[...] I swear the emotion is higher here, the weave a quantum more intense. And of such quanta are world-music classics made. /// [...] Yet once again his confident interweave and powerfully West African (Guinéan?) vocal feel (technique?) overwhelm secular skepticism. Right, this kind of Beauty is an ideological construct. Don't we all deserve a vacation once in a while?”

— Robert Christgau, www.robertchristgau.com - Dean of American Rock Critics

“I'm not sure when I first heard the sound of a kora, but I do remember that everything changed in 1983 when I brought home an album by Djeli Moussa Diawara I found at Sterns African records Centre [...]. Only four songs, all of them long, and I played this entrancing thing over and over, marvelling at the mixture of kora and guitar, the soaring voice of Moussa and the dreamy answering chorus of women. The endless circles of sound from the balaphon were hypnotising. I played all four songs on Capital Radio, and found that listeners were as enchanted as I was. ”

— Charlie Gillett, www.charliegillett.com - The sound of the world

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Songs

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Play "Caravan (D. Ellington)"

Caravan (D. Ellingt…

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Play "Wouya Wouya"

Wouya Wouya

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Play "Gbansa Fou"

Gbansa Fou

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Play "Guinea Malga"

Guinea Malga

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Play "Makoura"

Makoura

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Videos

Caravan - DMD's New Jazz Trio Live @ New Morning 25/2/2011 - Djeli Moussa Diawara (4)

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Shows

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2012
Jun 9

Blues Sphere
Liège, BE | 8:30pm
Blues Sphere
Liège, BE
Sat Jun 09, 2012 8:30pm
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Blues-sphere accueillera à l’Archéoforum de Liège, le 09/06/2012, le maître de la kora Djeli Moussa Diawara, griot du pays Mandingue, en Guinée. Djeli Moussa est descendant d’une famille de musiciens (djeli = griot). Son père est balafoniste, sa mère est choriste et son demi-frère n’est autre que le célèbre Mory Kanté. Djeli Moussa a appris à jouer du balafon, de la kora et de la guitare. Au début des années 80, il rejoint son demi-frère, Mory Kanté, à Abidjan et sort l’album « Yasimika ». Cet album est toujours considéré aujourd’hui comme une œuvre importante de la musique africaine. Il a depuis lors enregistré plusieurs albums, en trio, notamment. Dans sa musique, Djeli Moussa Diawara jette les ponts entre la musique d’Afrique et l’Europe. Sa kora, modèle unique composé de 32 cordes au lieu de 21 cordes sur une kora traditionnelle, lui permet de s’adapter à différents rythmes allant du mandingue traditionnel vers le jazz, en passant par la salsa, et, évidemment, le blues. Au cours de sa carrière, il a notamment participé à des tournées mondiales et travaillé avec des artistes à la renommée internationale comme : Ali Farka Touré, Carlos Santana, Bob Brozman, Manu Dibango, Cheick Tidiane Seck,, Stéphane Eicher,… Il nous présentera, au milieu du site prestigieux de l’Archeoforum de Liège, un concert intimiste, peuplé des rêves et images de son pays légendaire. Paf : 12€. Prévente : 9€. Petite restauration de 19h à 20h30. Concert à 20h30. Infos et réservations : info@blues-sphere.com www.blues-sphere.com
2011
Feb 25

New Morning
Paris, FR | 8:30pm
New Morning
Paris, FR
Fri Feb 25, 2011 8:30pm
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2011
Feb 13

Festival Sauti za Busara
Zanzibar, TZ | 8:00pm
Festival Sauti za Busara
Zanzibar, TZ
Sun Feb 13, 2011 8:00pm
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The Sauti za Busara music festival, Zanzibar features a rich variety of African music from the region with more than four hundred musicians participating over five days in historic Stone Town supplemented with fringe events around town and across the island including a festival street parade.
2011
Jan 31

Elysée Montmartre
Paris, FR | 7:30pm
Elysée Montmartre
Paris, FR
Mon Jan 31, 2011 7:30pm
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Voilà un peu plus d’un mois que le peuple tunisien et sa jeunesse se sont engagés sur la voie de la liberté et de la démocratie. En solidarité avec les luttes du peuple tunisien, "Action Tunisienne" (Association loi 1901) pour la promotion de l’éducation, du civisme et des solidarités) organisera le 31 janvier 2011 à partir de 19h30 un concert de soutien à l’'Elysée Montmartre. Les bénéfices de la billeterie seront intégralement reversés au Croissant Rouge Tunisien dans le cadre de ''l'Opération Secours Tunisie''. Line up: IDIR SOUAD MASSI DHAFER YOUSSEF DAVID LINX DUOUD KAMILYA JUBRAN EMEL MATHLOUTHI DJELI MOUSSA DIAWARA +INVITÉS
2010
Jul 23

Fest'Afrik
Tartas, FR | 8:00pm
Fest'Afrik
Tartas, FR
Fri Jul 23, 2010 8:00pm
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KORA JAZZ TRIO

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Comments

Add Comment

Smith III
Nice work! I came by to show you some love and support, you can return the favor by stopping by out page. Put A Stamp On it!
David Martin
Je monte dans la "Caravan" avec plaisir oh!
Kjell Braaten
Hi. Great stuff here at your page:) -Kjell.
splintered reality
welcome to rn....best of luck...horns raised in honor -rick (SR)
Andrew Austin
Gives me a Syndicate vibe ~ get Mr Richard Bona down!!!!
Lenox Mayes jr
Lovin your tracks!!GREAT WORK!! Stay bLESSED.kalimba Master.