Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba - Millennium Stage (April 7, 2023)

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Live Tonight on Millennium Stage: “Ngoni virtuoso Bassekou Kouyate can make notes bend like light rays in the desert heat.”
-Time Out magazine
Bassekou Kouyate was born in Garana, Mali, a small and multi-ethnic village 60 kilometers from Segou and located at the banks of the Niger River. He is descended from a long line of griots on both sides of his family.
Kouyate’s extraordinary musical journey shows that he is unquestionably the most innovative and exciting Malian musician to have emerged in recent years. Having defied tradition, he continues to push the boundaries of his ancient musical heritage, bringing his music to audiences around the world with his phenomenal live band Ngoni Ba. The band includes his wife Amy Sacko (a celebrated Malian singer often hailed as “the Tina Turner of Mali”), and features the ngoni instrument in several differing tonal sizes as well as a wide range of percussion instruments (talking drum, Yabara, and Calebasse). He has also released several internationally acclaimed albums; the latest, Miri, earned him the title of “Best Artist” in the Songlines Magazine Music Awards in 2020.
A major star among the new generation of African musicians, Bassekou Kouyate has been revolutionary in establishing a new role for the ngoni, a distant ancestor of the banjo and one of the oldest string instruments in Africa. Comprised of three strings, a calabash gourd, and a wooden stick, the ngoni has been used for centuries as a secondary orchestral instrument and ceremonial device. Bassekou has brought the instrument into the musical spotlight by adding strings, developing new techniques of playing, and defying tradition by plugging it in and experimenting with sound effects such as the wah-wah peddle. The ngoni now prominently features of many Malian bands touring today. In Bassekou’s hands, this seemingly limited instrument has grown to accommodate a wider melodic range and versatility, embracing Western styles such as jazz, blues, and rock and roll. This musical variety confirms Kouyate’s status as a virtuoso and a visionary for originating the electric ngoni.
Over the course of his career, Bassekou has played with stars such as Bonnie Raitt, Ali Farka Toure, and Bono, and has also won praise from legends like Eric Clapton. He’s also made a foray into blues and country with Taj Mahal, appeared on line-ups with Africa Express in 2016 alongside Paul Weller and Damon Albarn, and played festivals including Glastonbury, Latitude, Roskilde, Fuji Rock Festival, North Sea Jazz Festival, and WOMAD. It is his daring reworking of his musical heritage that makes him a truly contemporary African musician. By reviving one of the oldest instruments in the world, he has bridged the gap between the music of his forefathers to the 21st Century, distinguishing him as an exceptionally talented artist of international stature.

[@mercedesvaldes1483]

Love it👏👏👏👏👏👏👌🌹🌹🌹🌹

[@lesiaseliphas1433]

Listening to this from Lusaka, Zambia, enjoying this lay-back tune.

[@user-ft7we1df8n]

Attending an awesome performance by this group in Brooklyn, NYC!

[@jarikukkonen2318]

I saw them yesterday in Tampere, Finland. Great gig!

[@JohnKitime2015]

Remembering many years ago performing on the same stage with Basekou

[@ledded1]

I'm seeing them here in the UK next week.

[@makidicko8442]

Bravo Ségou balanza

[@ousmanediallo-ne6mf]

👏👏👏👏

[@haleypresto612]

What is the name of the last song that begins at 55 mins?! This is the song I walked into when they were playing a bluegrass and I LOVED IT

[@DaveG425]

Name a better band in the world right now???

[@Raven-uk3pe]

Ces effets ne conviennent pas à cet instrument. Ils le font sonner comme une guitare mal accordée. Gardez le son d'origine svp, vous êtes tellement talentueux.

[@gloverelaxis]

that take on a Delta blues on the ngoni was fucking siiiiiick