October 3, 2000 Summary Facts:
Since last year’s U.S. release of Ma Ya, their third Putumayo CD, which spent three months at #1 on the European world music charts, guitarist and singer Habib Koité and His Band Bamada have been ranked among the most exciting artists in world music. Blues aficionado and Grammy-winner Bonnie Raitt hails Koité and the four other members of Bamada: “First there was Hendrix, then there was Stevie Ray (Vaughn), now there’s Habib; they could be the best band in the world today.” For their Santa Barbara debut, Koité and Bamada will perform in concert on Wednesday, November 8 at 8 p.m. in UCSB Campbell Hall. Descended from the Khassonké griots of Mali, Koité’s tranquil melodies, radiant spirit and catchy polyrhythms combine traditional sounds of many of Mali’s ethnic groups including Malinke, Bùbù, Songhaï, Peul with danssa, an exuberant rhythm from the Khasso region. This mix achieves what Rhythm magazine calls “perhaps the coolest and most soulful body of music in Africa.” Koite has popularized and internationalized this sound by adding electric and acoustic guitar, bass and harmonica to talking drums, calebasse, djembe, balafon, lute and harp, and presenting it in colorful, vividly choreographed stage shows. Koité tunes his guitar on a pentatonic scale and plays on open strings as one would on a kamale n’goni, a six-stringed kora-like instrument (which is also part of the instrumentation of Bamada), a style he developed from his earliest musical experiences of accompanying his griot mother as a child. His vocal style is more restrained and intimate than traditional griot sounds, with varying cadenced rhythms and melodies that sometimes reflect styles as widespread as flamenco, blues and rap. Born in 1958, Koite inherited his passion for music from his paternal grandfather who played the n’goni, a traditional four-stringed instrument associated with Wassoulou hunters. He was headed for a career as an engineer but at the insistence of his uncle, who recognized his musical talent, he enrolled at the National Institute of Arts (INA) in Bamako, Mali. In 1978, after only six months, he was made conductor of Ina Star, the school’s prestigious band. He studied music for four years, graduating at the top of his class in 1982. His talent was so impressive that, upon graduation, INA immediately hired him as a guitar teacher. During his studies, Koité had the opportunity to perform with a series of noted Malian artists. He appeared on the 1991 Sony release by Toumani Diabaté, Shake the World. In 1988, Koité formed Bamada (a nickname for residents of Bamako that roughly translates to “in the mouth of the crocodile”) with young Malian musicians who had been friends since childhood. In 1991, his won first prize at the Voxpole Festival in Perpignan, France. The award enabled him to record two songs. One of those tracks “Cigarette A Bana” (“The Cigarette Is Finished”) was a hit throughout West Africa. After the release of the single titled “Nanalé” (“The Swallow”), he received the prestigious Radio France International (RFI) Decouvertes prize. This award made it possible for the group to undertake their first tour outside Africa during the summer of 1994. Early the following year, Koité met his current manager Belgian Michele De Bock, with whom he and Bamada recorded their first album, Muso Ko. Upon its release, the CD reached #3 on the European world music charts and Habib Koité and Bamada have been a fixture on the European festival circuit ever since, performing their appealing music in high energy shows around the world. During its first visit to the United States in 1997, the band participated in the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, the Montreal Jazz Festival and the Houston International Festival. They returned to perform with emerging blues sensation Eric Bibb in Putumayo Presents’ Mali to Memphis tour in 1999. Their upcoming UCSB performance is part of their third tour to the United States. Presented by UCSB Arts & Lectures, this residency is sponsored by KCBX Public Radio 89.9 FM and is supported in part with funds from the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency, and the California Arts Council, a state agency. As part of their residency at UCSB, Habib Koité and His Band Bamada will present a mini-performance at Isla Vista School and visit a UCSB world music class. These events are part of UCSB Arts & Lectures’ ongoing commitment to arts education that involves extensive collaboration between Arts & Lectures and community and campus organizations. For tickets or more information, Editor: For photos, please call |