Prince Diabaté

Prince Diabaté hails from a prominent Malinke family from Guinea, West Africa. He learned his art from his father, Djéli Sory Diabaté. Breaking with tradition, Djéli Sory also taught Prince's mother to play kora and the young boy became an exceptionally early starter by accompanying his parents to their concerts throughout West Africa. At the age of nine he caught the attention of the former President of Guinea, the late Ahmed Sekou Touré, who enrolled him into the national music school.
Considered to be one of the leading kora players of his generation, Prince Diabaté brings not only total mastery over his ancestral tradition, but a commitment to renew it through fresh ideas and exchanges with musicians from many cultures. His years in the USA have produced collaborations with artists and groups as diverse as The New Mexico Symphony Orchestra, Adam del Monte (Flamenco), Paul Livingstone (sitar) and Grammy winners Ozomatli (Hip-Hop/Latin rock.) The musically adventurous griot has incorporated reggae, rap and blues into his work and lately has adapted the music of the Wassolou people to his repertoire, which he plays self-taught on the kamelen n'goni. The result is entirely his own creation: a fresh, powerful brand of twenty-first century Manden music, which remains strongly rooted in traditional codes and references. Currently based in France, he has produced three studio albums with a fourth due for release in September 2022.