Mali Mandé Kouyate griot Djeli Balafon Music Mali Mandé Kouyate griot Djeli Balafon Music Mali Mandé Kouyate griot Djeli Balafon Music Mali Mandé Kouyate griot Djeli Balafon Music Mali Mandé Kouyate griot Djeli Balafon Music Mali Mandé Kouyate griot Djeli Balafon Music Mali Mandé Kouyate griot Djeli Balafon Music Mali Mandé Kouyate griot Djeli Balafon Music Mali Mandé Kouyate griot Djeli Balafon Music Mali Mandé Kouyate griot Djeli Balafon Music Mali Mandé Kouyate griot Djeli Balafon Music Mali Mandé Kouyate griot Djeli Balafon Music Mali Mandé Kouyate griot Djeli Balafon Music Mali Mandé Kouyate griot Djeli Balafon Music Mali Mandé Kouyate griot Djeli Balafon Music Mali Mandé Kouyate griot Djeli Balafon Music Mali Mandé Kouyate griot Djeli Balafon Music Mali Mandé Kouyate griot Djeli Balafon Music Mali Mandé Kouyate griot Djeli Balafon Music Mali Mandé Kouyate griot Djeli Balafon Music Mali Mandé Kouyate griot Djeli Balafon Music Mali Mandé Kouyate griot Djeli Balafon Music Mali Mandé Kouyate griot Djeli Balafon Music Mali Mandé Kouyate griot Djeli Balafon Music Mali Mandé Kouyate griot Djeli Balafon Music Mali Mandé Kouyate griot Djeli Balafon Music Mali Mandé Kouyate griot Djeli Balafon Music Mali Mandé Kouyate griot Djeli Balafon Music Mali Mandé Kouyate griot Djeli Balafon Music Mali Mandé Kouyate griot Djeli Balafon Music Mali Mandé Kouyate griot Djeli Balafon Music Mali Mandé Kouyate griot Djeli Balafon Music Mali Mandé Kouyate griot Djeli Balafon Music Mali Mandé Kouyate griot Djeli Balafon Music Mali Mandé Kouyate griot Djeli Balafon Music Mali Mandé Kouyate griot Djeli Balafon Music Mali Mandé Kouyate griot Djeli Balafon Music Mali Mandé Kouyate griot Djeli Balafon Music Mali Mandé Kouyate griot Djeli Balafon Music Mali Mandé Kouyate griot Djeli Balafon Music Mali Mandé Kouyate griot Djeli Balafon Music Mali Mandé Kouyate griot Djeli Balafon Music Mali Mandé Kouyate griot Djeli Balafon Music Mali Mandé Kouyate griot Djeli Balafon Music Mali Mandé Kouyate griot Djeli Balafon Music Mali Mandé Kouyate griot Djeli Balafon Music Mali Mandé Kouyate griot Djeli Balafon Music Mali Mandé Kouyate griot Djeli Balafon Music Mali Mandé Kouyate griot Djeli Balafon Music Mali Mandé Kouyate griot Djeli Balafon Music Mali Mandé Kouyate griot Djeli Balafon Music Mali Mandé Kouyate griot Djeli Balafon Music Mali Mandé Kouyate griot Djeli Balafon Music Mali Mandé Kouyate griot Djeli Balafon Music Mali Mandé Kouyate griot Djeli Balafon Music Mali Mandé Kouyate griot Djeli Balafon Music Mali Mandé Kouyate griot Djeli Balafon Music Mali Mandé Kouyate griot Djeli Balafon Music Mali Mandé Kouyate griot Djeli Balafon Music Mali Mandé Kouyate griot Djeli Balafon Music Mali Mandé Kouyate griot Djeli Balafon Music Mali Mandé Kouyate griot Djeli Balafon Music Mali Mandé Kouyate griot Djeli Balafon Music Mali Mandé Kouyate griot Djeli Balafon Music Mali Mandé Kouyate griot Djeli Balafon Music Mali Mandé Kouyate griot
Balla Kouyate:
A Modern Djeli
BALLA KOUYATE
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BALLA KOUYATE ✦
ABout me
Balla Kouyaté’s lineage goes back more than 800 years to Balla Faséké, the first of an unbroken line of djelis in the Kouyaté clan. More commonly known as griots, in the Mandinka language, the word “djeli” means the oral historians, musicians, and performers who keep alive and celebrate the history of the Mandé people of Mali, Guinea, and other West African countries. Kouyaté explains, “It means blood and speaks to the central role we play in our society.” Said to be the original griots of the Malinké people, the Kouyatés have been charged with protecting the original balafon —the Sosso-Bala— since the 13th century. Today, the Sosso-Bala is maintained by UNESCO, inscribed in 2008 on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, and by the Kouyaté family in Balla’s father’s village on the Mali-Guinea border. Learning from his father at the age of six, Kouyaté went on to play for farmers and presidents alike before immigrating to the United States in 2000. Since arriving, he has provided West African immigrant communities with an important connection to home through performances at weddings and special events. As a keeper of tradition, he has committed himself to collaborations, both showing the versatility of his instrument and expanding the bounds of world music. His dedication to carrying on his family’s hereditary role as a djeli, his musical virtuosity on the balafon, and his humble nature and humility truly set him apart from others.
2019 NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS AWARD RECIPIENT
COLLABORATOR ON YOYO MA’S S GRAMMY WINNING ALBUMS “SONGS OF JOY AND PEACE,” AND “SING ME HOME”
PURVEYOR OF 800-YEAR OLD WEST AFRICAN TRADITION
— THE ROLLING STONE
Up And Coming
Collaborations and appearances in 2026 AND BEYOND:
The result of the collaboration between Grammy-winning musicians Balla Kouyaté (balafon, vocals) and Mike Block (cello, vocals), this six-piece band puts Malian music into conversation with American folk music and contemporary styles
BALLA BILA
This living-room-style concert features Balla Kouyate and Matchume Zango as composers and multi-instrumentalists sharing the joy, beauty and complexity of their music but also provides a unique opportunity for the audience to get to know Kouyate and Zango as human beings, artists, ambassadors, and global citizens as they explore their connection to each other, their art, and their cultural patrimony.
VIDEOS
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PERFORMANCE
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EDUCATIONAL
WORLD MUSIC
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WORLD MUSIC ✦
