Bassekou Kouyate & Amy Sacko

Bassekou 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, comprising of his wife Amy Sacko (a celebrated Malian singer), and featuring the ngoni in several differing tonal sizes, and percussion (talking drum, Yabara, and Calebasse).

A major star amongst the new generation of African musicians, Bassekou 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, it has been used for centuries as a secondary orchestral instrument and ceremonial device. 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, Bassekou has brought the instrument into the musical foreground, where it is now a prominent feature 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, confirming his status as the originator of the electric ngoni, a virtuoso and a visionary.