Prince Diabate
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Prince Diabate

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"Un Principe a Chiclana"

"Prince Diabaté procedente de Guinea, nos llamó la atención el control que tenía tocando la kora y la transparencia del sonido. Como una amiga dijo,
“Si cierras los ojos parece que estás en otro sitio”.
- Prensa del festival Fimec-Chiclana by nConcierto - fanzine de musica independiente, Spain, July 2010


"Les Rhythmes Mandingues Revisites"

Les rhythmes mandingues sont revisites par Prince Diabate qui marie avec dexterite tradition et sonorites plus contemporaines comme le reggae, le rap, le blues et le funk. Il a une maitrise parfaite de l'instrument, son jeu est rapide et sa musique reste authentique et actuelle - Aviafimag.com, Montreal, Canada, August 2007


"Un Artiste Moderne"

Prince Diabate fait entrer la kora dans le 21e siecle! Depuis plus de 15 ans, sa maitrise exceptionelle de cet instrument l'a amene a en revolutionner la maniere de jouer - VOIR, Montreal, Canada, Octobre, 2005


"Guinean Was Born To Make Music"

"Prince Diabate's music covers a lot of ground - from reggae to rap - but it's the Guinean musician's ancestral roots that hold the most sway in his upbeat, worldly compositions....his hands fly over the kora with the energy of a rock star. In fact, his mastery of the instrument and the inventive sounds he creates with it have earned him a distinction as the 'Jimi Hendrix' of the kora." - Albuquerque Journal,NM,November, 2004


"Prince Diabate: A Masterful Kora Player"

"Prince Diabate is clearly a masterful kora player with the capacity to extract an astonishing array of sounds and melodies from his utterly unique instrument."
- Don Heckman, Los Angeles Times, 2002


"WFSM:LA-New York Times"

"Prince Diabate, a virtuosic kora player reared in Guinea, was a clear audience favorite." - Neil Strauss, New York Times, 2002


""New Life" by Prince Diabate (Sunrise Records/Orchard)"

"It is Diabate's virtuosic, frenzied-as-a-Sunday-morning-gospel-choir work on the kora in native Mande jams, like Fofana Kunda, that seal his rep as the "Jimi Hendrix of the kora." - Andrew Lentz: LA Weekly, 2002


"World Festival of Sacred Music Opening Concert at UCLA's Royce Hall"

"Prince Diabate's throbbing, perking ensemble of West African flute, balafon, drums and dance got the polite assemblage of Westside yogaphiles yelling. Draped like a Guinean Pope, the charismatic Diabate was the cock of the walk - even strolling the aisles in the spotlight a la Angus Young, while plucking virtuosic arpeggios on his kora. Appropriately, the band showered their pop griot with paper currency, the one symbol held sacred the world over." - Greg Burk: LA Weekly, 2002


"Pick of The Week: Prince Diabate"

" A rooted prong who plugs into any socket, not just the ancient griot traditions of his native Guinea, Prince Diabate has universal electricity. He plays the kora, a 21-stringed version he built himself, and looking at this big, lacquered spacecraft with its gourd resonator is a show in itself, but the rapid runs and deep rhythms he plucks and slaps out of it will trip you out. He sings, too, in a strong marketplace cry that cuts through anywhere." - Greg Burk, LA Weekly, 2002


"Un Prince Revolutionnaire"

"En Guinee-Conakry, on considere qu'il a revolutionne l'art de la kora en developpant une facon plus percussive de jouer de cet instrument. En plus, ce descendant d'une illustre famille de djelis malinkes est l'un de ceux qui
ont le mieux reussi a fusionner les fondements des traditions mandingues avec rap, reggae, flamenco, latin et funk; rien a voir avec la superposition de genres, mais beaucoup plus avec l'evolution creatrice d'une culture ouverte vers l'exterieur."


- ICI, Montreal, Canada, Octobre 2005


"Djembe-Jam, Packed"

"Bringing something different to town, Prince Diabate performed at SOHO. As the chatting crowd swelled, he snuck onstage with his band and started rockin' the house. Diabate delivered two sets of traditional vocal, kora, djembe and krin rhythms rearranged to include acoustic and electric guitar. Added to that mix, Becky Allen's clear voice and lyrical flute accompanied the leader's virtuoso kora performance. Originally hailing from Guinea, now residing in Los Angeles, Diabate's fingers on the kora's strings revealed influences from the traditional music of his homeland to blues, reggae and rock 'n'roll." - Felicia Tomasko, Santa Barbara Independent, CA, 2004


"Prince Diabate Dance Party"

"Prince Diabate has been called the 'Jimi Hendrix of the kora,' a true innovator on the instrument. His masterful fusion of funk, reggae, Caribbean rhythms and traditional Malinke sounds from Guinea, West Africa makes his some of the freshest, most danceable music going...while the kora itself is something of a curiosity, Diabate's technical wizardry with the instrument and his mastery of it are sorcerer-like." - Michael Henningsen: Alibi, Albuquerque, NM, 2004


"Guinea's Prince Diabate has Earned His Royal Title"

"Diabate has evolved into one of the most innovative West African artists... He weaves elements of rock and reggae into the fabric of his music and plays a wireless electroacoustic kora - with special effects supplied from distortion pedals."
- The Georgia Straight, Vancouver, BC, Canada, November, 2005


Discography

ALBUMS
Lamaranaa (1993) Buda Records/Allegro (France)
New Life (2001) Sunrise Records/Orchard (USA)
Djerelon (2006) Kora Company Collection (Guinea/USA)

COMPILATIONS
Acoustic Africa (2000) Manteca World Music (UK)
World Festival of Sacred Music-Los Angeles 2002 (USA)
18ieme Edition du Festival International Nuits d'Afrique -2004 (Canada)
20 ieme Edition du Festival International Nuits d'Afrique - 2006 (Canada) Global Rhythm Magazine
Compilation Series- 2007 (USA)

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AIRPLAY FOR DJERELON:

NPR (Talk of the Nation),KPFK, KCRW, KXLU, KAOS, KUNM, KUSP, KZSC, KKUP,WKPS,KPFA,KBAC, KABF,WAER, KZSU, RADIO-CANADA, In The Loop (Radio Australia) RFI & Radio Zinezin (France) Onda Cero Intl (Spain) Radio Voce Spazio (Italy)
INTERNET RADIO
radioioworld.com, themix.com (Rhythms International) , resonancefm.com (UK) CJLO.com (Canada) worldspace.com, feveredbrainnetwork (USA)

REVIEWS FOR DJERELON (abridged)

"Expert arranging sets this recording apart from many contemporary recordings of Mande music. Diabate's worldly wanderings have served him well and while he honors and participates in his rich tradition, he does not simply mimic familiar formulae, but charts a course of his own. He reveals his broad experience and modernity with subtlety and cool. Djerelon establishes him as an important player in the growing wave of West African acoustic pop.' -BANNING EYRE, AFROPOP WORLDWIDE, JULY 2006.

"A fine album of West African acoustica from the American-based kora maestro." - FLY MAGAZINE UK
JUNE 2007

"Prince Diabate is one of the most exciting kora players working today. He also sings both traditional Manding music and his own compositions, and is very interested in fusing traditional music with modern ideas without having the modern elements dominate. He's assisted in DJERELON by the great and very successful Kante Manfila, who has been getting further back into his roots the last several years. Despite occasional electric bass and western flute, the overall feel of DJERELON is traditional West African... There is a definite groove...DJERELON holds an infectious sound that will never grow old. It's not radically different from Prince Diabate's earlier cds, but perhaps more realized: his best yet." - DISCOVERIES.NET JANUARY, 2007

"Prince Diabaté is a Guinean kora player who resides in New Mexico and he has returned
to his native country to work with local musicians on this atmospheric semi-acoustic CD. Using a mix of traditional songs and original compositions, Diabaté neatly keeps a foot in both the traditional and modern camps, making for a satisfying showcase of contemporary West African roots music. Kanté Manfila is co-producer and arranger, and there’s something of the Malian legend’s classic album 'Tradition' about the whole approach to the album. From the ripple of descending balafon notes that usher in interlocking acoustic guitar melodies and soulful female harmonies, to Diabaté’s subtle kamelen n’goni and kora embellishments and rich, woody timbre of a voice, there’s an effortlessly relaxed feeling to the recordings.... Also worthy of note is the flute playing of Becky Allen and Sadio Diallo, which adds a welcome flightiness at crucial points on many of the tracks." - FOLK ROOTS, UK, DECEMBER, 2006.

"A very snappy world beat set that doesn't follow convention as much as march to its own drummer; any fans who know him from before won't be disappointed while any new fans will be delighted."
-MIDWEST RECORD, USA, JUNE 2006.

"A sure winner for West African music fans."
- KAOS 89.3FM, USA, MAY, 2006.

"Incredible African music that is sure to whisk you away to West Africa."
- SMOTHER MAGAZINE, USA: EDITOR'S PICK, JUNE 2006.

'Like much of the best West African music, Djerelon is upbeat, but with a blue-toned soul, as minor-keyed phrasings snake their way through the predominantly happy melodies. Although its distribution is limited, Prince Diabaté’s latest CD (his first in five years) is well worth hunting down.'
- POP MATTERS, USA, AUGUST, 2006.

''Beautiful, modernized and multilayered African Mandingo griot pop... This album made me sit up and listen not just because it's pretty-sounding, but also because Diabate has created some musical sounds that I haven't heard before...
- SLIPCUE E-ZINE, USA, AUGUST, 2006.

'All in all a pleasant hour of traditional music.'
- MUZIKIFAN, USA, SEPT 2006.

'Un album ambitieux, enregistré à Conakry avec une vingtaine de musiciens : des cordes raffinées, des tambours et du balafon qui nous parlent pour vrai, des flûtes subtiles ou déchirantes. Un disque fluide.' LE DEVOIR, MONTREAL, CANADA, JULY 2006.

CHECK OUT PRINCE DIABATE AT:
www.princediabate.com
www.myspace.com/princediabate
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Prince-Diabate/

FOR VIDEOS
www.myspace.com/princediabate
www.youtube.com /princediabate
www.youtube.com/whichone22

Photos

Bio

"Les rhythmes mandingues sont revisités par PRINCE DIABATÉ qui marie avec dextérité tradition et sonorités plus contemporaines comme le reggae, le rap, le blues et le funk. Il a une maîtrise parfaite de l’instrument, son jeu est rapide, et sa musique reste authentique et actuelle."
Aviafimag.com, Montreal, Canada, Aug 2007

"Prince Diabaté, un artista de la kora guineana demostró el dominio que tiene de este instrumento."
Prensa del festival Fimec-Chiclana, El Puente Chiclana Noticias, Spain, July 2010

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Prince Diabaté hails from a prominent, Malinké family from Guinea, West Africa. He learned his art from his father, Djéli Sori Diabaté. Breaking with tradition, his father also taught Prince's mother, Hadja Djéli Sira Cissoko, to play kora. The young boy became an exceptionally early starter by accompanying his parents to their concerts throughout West Africa. Despite his father's disapproval, he decided to make music his life. When he was eight years old, former Guinean President, Sekou Touré, came to his home town, Kindia, for a celebration in Independence Square. Braving the outraged soldiers and his own fear, the young musician grasped his kora, threw himself at the President's feet and played a special song for him. Greatly touched by his skill and audacity, Sekou Touré became his benefactor, enrolling him into the National Children's Theatre in Conakry. At sixteen years of age, he won first prize in an international kora competition in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, and acquired his nickname, 'Prince Diabaté, Prince of the Kora.'

In 1986 he met the singer, Amara Sanoh, and the two started to perform together. They disbanded in 1998. A world class musician, Prince Diabaté (the 'Jimi Hendrix of the kora') has toured in Africa, Europe, Canada and the US, developing a distinctive style, characterised by a lightning-quick, percussive technique coupled with a dynamic stage presence and the occasional, funky use of the wah-wah pedal.

Considered to be one of the leading kora players of his generation, Prince Diabaté brings not only total mastery over his ancestral tradition, but a commitment to renew it through fresh ideas and exchanges with musicians from many cultures. His collaborations have included artists and groups as diverse as The New Mexico Symphony Orchestra, Adam del Monte (Flamenco) Hassan Hakmoun(Gnawa) and Grammy winners, Michael Brook (guitarist/producer/composer) and Ozomatli (Hip-Hop fusion.)

Moving easily between the classical traditions of Mandé music and modern fusion, Prince Diabaté has incorporated reggae, rap, blues and funk into his work. Recently, he has adapted the music of the Wassolou to his repertoire, which he plays, self-taught, on the kamelen n'goni. The result is entirely his own: a fresh, powerful brand of twenty-first century Manden music, which remains strongly rooted in traditional codes and references.

He has recorded three CDs: LAMARANAA (Buda Musique) in 1993, awarded a four star rating; NEW LIFE (Sunrise Records) in 2001, which features guest artists Michael Brook and Hassan Hakmoun and DJERELON (Kora Company Collection 2006.) This latest, semi-acoustic album was recorded in Guinea in 2006 and is arranged and produced byKante Manfila, best known for his work with Salif Keita. It has been lauded by critics and the public alike.

Prince Diabaté is the recipient of numerous American grants and awards and, now, after eight years in the United States he has relocated to Europe. From his base in France, he has created a group in Paris, France for European performances.

He is also performing as a kora trio with his 2 childhood friends, N'Faly Kouyate and Ba Cissoko. These three griots from Guinea, all based in Europe, created the trio, entitled Kora Friends, to perform a more traditional Manden repertoire.

BOOKING (worldwide except Spain)

Linda Bawden Allen, Cora Company Management at:
+[01] 310-402-7946 (USA) or coracomp@aol.com
+33 [0]634-95-94-59 (FRANCE) e-mail: info@princediabate.com or coracomp@aol.com

FOR SPAIN:

Suzani McPherson-Gomez, Vox Mundi Management at:
+34 [0] 664.477.088
e-mail: vox.mundi.info @gmail.com