Toumani Diabaté - Si Naani

Toumani Diabaté-Si Naani
(Machine-head kora: Egyptian tuning)

Song note by Toumani Diabate;

This is dedicated to Moctar Ouane, formerly Minister of Foreign Affairs in Mali, former ambassador to UN from Mali,and a big fan of my music. He´s a Fula - so I´ve called it Si naani because that´s how we praise the Fulas. It means `Four lineages`, that´s the four surnames of the Fula; Diallo; Diakite; Sidibe and Sangare. It´s my own composition, inspired by two different pieces of music from opposite ends of Mali.
First I play a version of Musu maramba (Beautiful woman) a love song from the griot tradition in the north-west of Mali, around Kayes, it´s a very lyrical piece, not many know it. I learnt this from Gata Kanoute, a guitarist from Kayes who used to have a group in Bamako and many years ago I used to play with them. The other piece is Njaaro. This is originally a Fula griot piece from Macina in central Mali and I believe it´s never been played on the kora before; the griots used to play it on the ngoni to praise the Fula warriors in the 19th century, when they were conquering the region and bringing Islam with them. Njaaro is a tune that´s deep; it´s always inspired me.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Toumani
• Diabaté
• Diabate
• Kora
• Africa
• The
• mande
• variations
• Mali

[Marsbar17]

I find peace with toumani diabate at the Kora. This is lovely

[tafefefejeanrene]

listen to the sound, and let fly the soul

[luamoonluna]

so beautiful...

[MainaRenee]

Il me faire sentir comme si j'avais mon propre griot! Bravo Toumani!

[JFrancesFrancisJ]

A man...who plays the rain. Could the rain sing, surely it would sound no different than this.

(I don't always talk this spacey, but this music puts me in the mood too...perhaps I should go to the nearest walmart and speak to the cashier in such a manner...)

[NGADEF1]

super la sérinité dans toumani, sa voix est sa kora !! A méditer ..!!

[2000basureitor]

no doubt the epitome of the universal vibrations

[kora0308]

Thank you for so amazing music, my life has not been complete without this music.

[japansekip]

Everything is beautifull, the man, the music, the instrument.