8:00 PM, Doors at 7:30 PM
$20
Trio Da Kali is a soulful, transcendent musical group from Mali who have breathed new life into traditional West African griot melodies. They were rocketed into stardom by their recent collaboration with Kronos Quartet, a progressive, rule-breaking chamber music ensemble. The collaboration produced an album, Ladilikan, which has garnered critical praise from all corners of the music world.
Trio Da Kali’s members descend from venerable musical families in Mali. With centuries of history and musicianship at their backs, they represent the chamber music of West Africa. The trio’s performance revolves around the soaring, rounded vibrato voice of Hawa Kassé Mady (daughter of legendary singer Kasse Mady Diabaté), performing the songs she grew up with in Kela, at the heart of the griot world. Lassana Diabaté is a monster balafon player who’s worked with everyone from Taj Mahal to Béla Fleck to the top musicians of Mali. And the young Mamadou Kouyaté — whose dad, Bassekou Kouyaté, was nominated for a Grammy — holds down a solid, swinging bass on the traditional lute, known as a ngoni. Just these three musicians create such a big sound. Their performances offer a rare glimpse into the soul of the art of the griot, celebrating the African continent’s finest, most subtle and sublime music.