The Plan

Welcome to my blog! If you're here, it's probably because I know you in some form or fashion; if not, you're welcome still. This blog will chronicle my explorations of music and culture in Mali, West Africa, during my time there as a Fulbright grantee. That period will probably be from October 3, 2011-July 4, 2012 but, given the inevitable corruption of best-laid plans in Mali, that could certainly change.

I'll try to update this once a week, though we'll see how that goes. I also realize that a lot of blogs quickly turn into long, mawkish descriptions of the everyday or passionate, yet intensely boring, rants. I'm going to try my best to avoid all that, and there will be lots of pictures, field recordings, and hopefully some videos once I get to Mali.

My plan is to study the playing techniques, repertoire, and lore of the Malian n'goni, a 4-string lute.  I got started playing it in 2002 or so with a Malian griot (an oral historian/musician/all-around cultural negotiator) named Cheick Hamala Diabaté who lives in the Washington D.C. area.  Cheick is from Kita, in Western Mali, a famous griot town that has produced such fabled musicians as Toumani Diabaté and Kélétigui Diabaté, and a whole host of lesser-known musicians.  The Manden griot music centered in Kita is probably the best-known Malian musical tradition outside of Mali.  That said, there are many other musical traditions, notably Bambara music, centered on Ségu, in central Mali.  Bambara music tends to include more pentatonic melodies, and has historically had a different repertoire and playing style.  This is all changing due to the fact that many professional musicians have moved to the Mali's capital, Bamako, and are actively swapping tunes and playing styles.

Hopefully, I will be able to study the Kita and Ségu n'gonis with two acknowledged masters: Kélémonson Diabaté of Kita, who has played with several of Mali's national griot troupes, and Bassékou Kouyaté of Ségu, who with his group N'goni Ba is a rising star on the World Music scene.   Both live in Bamako, which will make it easier to meet with them, but both also tour internationally, so I may be forced to find some supplementary teachers as well.  We'll see!

Questions and comments can be sent to waraden.diabate [at] gmail.com.  Next week in Mali!