I was born into a DIABATE-Jeli family in Burkina Faso in 1973. The Jeli families have maintained the art of making music for many centuries. (The first Diabate was mentioned in the Sundjata Epos from the 13th century.) We are still devoted to this profession and, therefore there are lot of Diabates on the top of the West African music scene. The Diabates in the north-western Mande area (Mali, Senegal) mainly play the kora, we in the Southeast (Guinea, Cote d'Ivoire and Burkina Faso) rather the balafon. (watch my video with the kora player Mamadou Diabate from Mali / USA)
At the age of five I began my professional training: I travelled with different musician families and finally created the group Landaya, which in 1998 won the first prize of the SNC in Burkina Faso. I compose music and I play the balafon as well as various rhythm instruments. I also give workshops, in order to make people familiar with the variety of West African music. Since April 2000 I live in Austria.
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My discography:
2009: Sambla Fadenya, with my CD Keneya I have already published some highlights of the Sambla music-tradition. Now I am very happy, to release a new selection with my brother Sadama as a soloist. He, now the head of the Sambla-Diabates, is not only a brilliant interpreter of the tradition but also a gifted composer.
2008: Balanfola, a solo CD with Jula, Tusia and Sambla Balafon. ALL SONGS are available in written form too on my homepage under Music to play. (three-handed balafonists would love them...)
2006: Kamalenya (Power And Courage) with my Afro-group "Percussion Mania". The name of my group is its program: Percussion Mania is precisely that - an intoxicating battle of rhythms, in which not only we musicians (Karim Sanou, Louis Sanou and me) are supposed to fall into a trance. (listen to Fantaan mogoba)
2005: Folikelaw (The Musicians), a live recording in Joe Zawinul's Birdland in Vienna with Sigi Finkel. Jazzy Saxophone tunes harmonise with traditional sounds of the Sambla, the ethnic group from Burkina Faso I belong to. (listen to GoaTingcungSo)
2003: Magic Marimba - Wolfgang Meyering's magic project at the 'Tanz- und Folkfest' of Rudolstadt (Germany). Seven musicians from six different countries who never met before: Terje Isungset (N), Alex Jacobowitz (USA), Ania Losinger (CH), Maika & Sara Gomez (E), Jan Heinke (D), Mamadou Diabate (BFA).
2003: Sira Fila (Two Ways) with my Afro-Jazz band "Bekadiya" (watch my videos
Nyimaya ,
Folikelaw
or listen to SIDA). Fatoumata Dembele from the Farafina sings on it.
2002: Keneya (Well-being) with balafon music of my people the Sambla. This is the world premier recording with Sambla music. I had to play all instrumental parts myself, because I was (and still am) the only Sambla in Austria and this music - or what outsiders consider being beautiful music - is in reality the Sambla language transposed into music. Musicians, who don't speak this language can't play it at all. (watch my videos with Sambla or Tusia balafon or listen to SanTsyobeDin and Fantaan mogoba)
2001: Sababu man dogo (A Chance is not just Anything) with own compositions in the popular Bobo-Dioulasso style (watch my videos Fanga , JamaKaWuli with Landaya). This time Landaya was in Bobo, I myself in Vienna, so I had to play all instrumental parts myself on the CD.