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Member of:

Dunyakan Afro Celt Sound System

Language:

Mandinka

Genre:

Modern manding Jazz

Instrument:

Cora Bass Drums

On the Internet
The WOMAD 2004 gig
Mande music school

Biography

N'Faly Kouyate was born into the most famous family of griots of the Mandigue, the region of West Africa which includes Guinea-Conakry, Mali, Gambia, Senegal and Burkina Faso.
He is the son of Konkoba Kabinet Kouyate of Siguiri in the Republic of Guinea. Konkoba is a rare grade of griot, superior among griots. This rare grade (there exists fewer than three in the world today) was acquired by him through achieving difficult tests and gaining a perfect mastery of the secrets of life, composed of its deep occult secrets and also all of the magic of the Mandingue world.
Formed in the most rigorous traditions of the traditional artist of West Africa, N'faly opened his mind nonetheless at a very young age to universal forms of music, including jazz, "world music", blues and techno. A highly accomplished musician, N'Faly is a marvelous singer, kora player, storyteller and balafonist, as well as an articulate spokesperson of the studies of these music and of polyphony, of which he often lectures in Belgian universities.
In 1997, Peter Gabriel's Realworld Studios proposed to integrate him into their most successful ensemble, the Afro Celt Sound System. He accepted this invitation, and this has allowed him the opportunity to perform at International Festival of Jazz in Montreal, Montreux, the Summer Festival in Quebec, Werchter, Summerstage in NYC, the Couleur Café, the WOMAD Reading Festival, WOMAD in Australia and a comprehensive tour of Australia and New Zealand, among other too numerous to list.
In his solo career, he works extensively in Belgium, and, indeed throughout Europe to teach his history and the history of the Mandingue to all ages from 7 to 77. And, though these performances, proposes to advance not only his culture, but his dream of the realization of understanding and tolerance among all cultures of the world.
He has also been invited to join "The Chris Joris Experience" and continues to perform with Chris Joris. Their 1998 CD "Live at Middleheim" won the "Prix Django D'or" for that year. N'faly also pursues his career and goals through his work with his own ensemble Dunyakan (the voice of the world), in which blues, world music, jazz and the traditional music of Guinea are intermingled. Their music incorporates traditional african instruments such as the kora, djembé, balafon, and more traditional western instruments such as the double bass and the drum battery, and their polyphonies are largely inspired by the traditional music of Guinea.
Their reliance on these polyphonies lends a sweetness to the traditional rhythms, giving Dunyakan a unique sound in the cadre of "world music." N'faly strong songwriting skills gives Dunyakan also its own identity, yet intensely personal, formed by N'faly's strong ideals and dreams. They have performed extensively in Belgium, France also in England and Ireland.

Relevant artists:
Cissokho System
Mansour Seck
Toumani Diabate

KORA GROOVES  
ARC Records/2004

N'Faly Kouyate and his band play a jazzy version of the Mande music, in an accoustic setting. It is musically not far from what Solo Cissokho and his Senegalese and Norwegian friends are doing in Cissokho System.
The driving force in Dunyakan is of course N'Faly Kouyate and his kora. N'Faly is a very skilled instrumentalist, and in long instrumental parts the band produces delicate and beautiful music. It's basically Mande, but you can hear that N'Faly has been playing in Europe for some time, this could perhaps be called extended Mande. It works anyway. The best track is the traditional song "N'diyanomo", full of depth and beauty, where bass, drums and kora float together into a higer musical unity. Also on the instrumental and self penned "Experience" N'Faly lets loose with mesmeriring kora - yes, grooves. On "Korokan" the band presents a kind of fusion, the tune is clearly jazz influenced. In fact, "Kora Grooves" is a surprisingly funky album at times.
The CD is recorded in Belgium; it's hard to put one's finger on the exact reason, but something gives me the feeling that N'Faly Kouyate and his musicians could have presented an even better record with a tighter and more organic production. "Kora Grooves" is in fact a bit "under produced", the female backing vocals sometimes sound feeble. The band does a kind of "live in the studio" act, which is not bad, but-.
Anyway, these weaknesses cannot hide that N'Faly Kouyate and his Dunyakan is a band to reckon with. The strength of the band, the organic interplay between kora, bass and drums is splendid, and at their best N'Faly and his musicians present engaging and inventive kora grooves.

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Swahili: Francis Chagula (francis.chagula@malvik.kommune.no)
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