Bassekou Kouyate (born 1966) is a musician from Mali. His band is known as Ngoni ba.
Bassekou Kouyate | |
|---|---|
 Performing live in 2008 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | 1966 |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) | Musician |
| Instrument(s) | ngoni |
| Years active | 1978–present |
| Labels | Outhere Records (Proper Music Distribution) |
Life and career edit
He was born into the Kouyate family in Garana, Barouéli Cercle, 60 kilometres from Ségou, in 1966.[1] At the age of 12, he started playing the ngoni. In the late 1980s he moved to the capital, Bamako.[2]
Kouyate's debut album, Segu Blue,[3] was released internationally in 2007 by Outhere Records and distributed in the U.K. by Proper Music Distribution. The album was produced by Lucy Durán.[2] He has also appeared on a number of albums by Toumani Diabaté[2] and has performed in several European countries.[2] In 2010, Kouyaté toured with Béla Fleck.
Kouyate's wife, Amy Sacko, is also a successful solo artist and sings lead in his band.[2][4] His father, Mustapha Kouyate, was a ngoni player and his mother Yagaré Damba was a praise singer.[1] Kouyate, together with Amy Sacko and Ngoni ba, appeared at The 2013 Proms.[5]
Discography edit
- Albums
- Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba: Segu Blue (Outhere Records, 2007)
- Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba: I Speak Fula (Outhere Records, 2009)
- Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba: Jama Ko (Outhere Records, 2013)
- Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba: Ba Power (Glitterbeat Records, 2015)
- Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba: Miri (Outhere Records, 2019)
- Bassekou Kouyate & Amy Sacko: Djudjon (One World Records, 2024)
- Contributing artist
Filmography edit
- 2008: Throw Down Your Heart, by Sascha Paladino: Himself
- 2013: The Africa Express, by Renaud Barret and Florent de La Tullaye: Himself
- 2016: Easy Man, by Jasper Cremers and Dennis de Groot: Himself
- 2016: Mali Blues, by Lutz Gregor: Himself
Awards edit
- 2008 – BBC Radio 3 Awards for World Music – Album of the Year & African Artist of the Year[6]
References edit
- ^ a b Frank Bessem's Musiques d'Afrique: Bassekou Kouyate
- ^ a b c d e Fly Global Music, March 10, 2007: Bassekou Kouyaté – Blue Like a River to a Desert Archived 2011-07-28 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Dacks, David (March 2010). "Ngoni Hero Bassekou Kouyaté". Exclaim!. Archived from the original on 9 July 2012.
- ^ Allmusic.com entry on Amy Sacko
- ^ "Prom 54: World Routes Prom". bbc.co.uk. 22 August 2013. Retrieved 22 August 2013.
- ^ BBC3 Awards for World Music winners 2008