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Salif Keita

Known around the world as "The Golden Voice of Mali," Salif Keita's unique sound blends the traditional styles of his West African homeland with influences from Cuba, Spain, Portugal, and the Middle East. The instrumentation that accompanies his singing represents a fusion of European and African popular music, ranging from guitar, organ, and sax to traditional African instruments such as the kora, balafon, and djembe, often synthesized and sampled. He has enjoyed a prosperous career not only in his native Mali, where he was awarded the National Order of Guinea, but also in Europe and America, where he became well-known after moving to Paris and collaborating with other African musicians based there.

In 1968, in the Malian capital of Bamako, a 19-year-old albino boy scrapped the conventions of his noble ancestry to become a professional singer. Poor despite his social standing, rebellious, and vexed by poor eyesight, the boy chose music over the only alternative he saw, a life of crime. Salif Keita sang with the legendary, Latin-tinged Rail Band of Bamako in the early '70s before starting his own more fusion-oriented group, Les Ambassadeurs which also featured brilliant Guinean guitarist Kante Manfila.

Keita moved to Paris in 1984, and there he recorded “Soro,” a dazzlingly beautiful realization of his brooding, modern take on Malian tradition. “Soro” set a new standard for electric Afropop, and it legitimized African music in the progressive rock mold-music for listening, not just dancing. Keita sings with belting, no-holds-barred passion that evokes blues shouters and R&B screamers. But his sound hews close to the style of the Islamic Manding griots, who sing to evoke the grand struggles and tragedies of history.

After many struggles, Keita has learned to tap into the pain of life and to transcend it in cathartic song. With a Grammy nomination for his 1992 “Amen,” a collaboration with Weather Report's Joe Zawinul, Keita ranks among the most celebrated African singers. Keita's 1999 release, “Papa,” was co-produced by Vernon Reid and moved more aggressively in the direction of rock music than any of the singer's previous works. “Papa” met with initial skepticism both at home and abroad, but the release has become extremely popular in Mali, and it earned Keita a second Grammy Award nomination in 2000.

Keita followed up with “Moffou,” in 2002. This record was considered some of Keita's finest work to date, and he received a Grammy nomination for the album. Keita then returned to Bamako, Mali, in order to record his next full-length effort, “M'Bemba,” (The Ancestor) which came out in 2006.

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Live Review

Salif Keita at Yoshi's San Francisco

Read "Salif Keita at Yoshi's San Francisco" reviewed by Harry S. Pariser


Salif KeitaYoshi'sSan Francisco, CA September 7, 2014 Any opportunity to see Salif Keita, the 65-year-old “Golden Voice of Africa" is a special occasion indeed. Keita, a 40-year-plus veteran of the music scene, is one of Africa's top musical stars, one who travels all over the world. He sings in Malinké, a dialect of the Manding group of languages--prevalent but not predominant in many West African nations including Mali, Guinea, Senegal and the ...

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150

Recording

Salif Keita Returns with "La Difference" and North American Tour

Salif Keita Returns with "La Difference" and North American Tour

Source: rock paper scissors, inc.

White Skin, Black Blood: Salif Keita's Golden Voice Transforms Social Stigma into Global Grooves on La Difference

The descendant of warrior princes, the son of two black African parents, Afro-pop pioneer Salif Keita was born “white." Inheriting albinism, a lack of skin pigmentation, Keita instantly stood out among other Africans and stood out as a spokesperson for tolerance in all forms.

With La Difference (Emarcy Records; June 8, 2010), the legendary singer addresses this deeply personal issue -- albinism in ...

167

Event

Leni Stern to Play with Morley, Salif Keita, Adam Rudolph's Organic Orchestra

Leni Stern to Play with Morley, Salif Keita, Adam Rudolph's Organic Orchestra

Source: Seth Cohen PR

Leni Stern Joins Morley, Adam Rudolph's Organic Orchestra and Salif Keita for Upcoming 'Special Guest' Appearances Stern to Appear in Documentary on Hermeto Pascal Recent Television Appearance Features Two Live Performances New Leni Stern CD in the Works; Headlining Shows Set for NYC Acclaimed singer/songwriter/guitarist Leni Stern will make a series of 'Special Guest' appearances in the weeks and months ahead. On October 23rd, she will join her friend Morley at Joe's Pub in New York City, for the CD ...

156

Event

Leni Stern to Open for Salif Keita 6/24 in NYC

Leni Stern to Open for Salif Keita 6/24 in NYC

Source: Seth Cohen PR

Leni Stern is confirmed to open for the legendary Salif Keita, June 24th at BB KING's Show time is 8pm, and doors open at 6pm. Leni Stern continues to generate career-defining coverage for her acclaimed CD, 'Africa', which was recorded at Keita's Bamako Studios in Mali. Stern received a double-review (for 'Africa' and her 'Alu Maye' EP) in the current issue of No Depression, and will soon be featured in the Annual Women's Issue of Jazziz Magazine. 'Africa' has been ...

138

Recording

Leni Stern Joins Salif Keita to Cover U2's "One"

Leni Stern Joins Salif Keita to Cover U2's "One"

Source: Seth Cohen PR

NY TIMES Praises Stern as “A Guitarist and Vocalist with an Ethereal Sensibility" U.S. Tour Dates Confirmed for San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, Boston, Maryland and more Leni Stern's embrace of African music has led her to become a sort of folk hero in Mali and Senegal, the locations of her most-recent visits to the continent. She comments: “I felt that my presence, as a white woman, an electric guitarist, and singer illustrated the point that music transcends religion, ...

SoSaLa
saxophone, tenor

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Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Talé

Universal Music Classics & Jazz France
2012

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La Difference

Unknown label
2010

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Tolon Willie / Voodoo...

Universal Music Classics & Jazz France
2001

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