My name is Kadialy Kouyate. I was born in Kolda in Casamance, in the south of Senegal in 1979. I come from a very large African musical family of dialis, which means `griot`, who are well known in Mandinka history. A griot is a storyteller in Western Africa who perpetuates the oral tradition and history of a village or family. (dictionary definition) I belong to the great line of Kouyate griots, descendants of Balla Fasseke Kouyate, the first Mandinka diali, who became the official griot in the service of the emperor Sundiata Keita. Legend has it that Sundiata's enemy, the king of Sosso, blacksmith Soumarou Kante, gave him the name Kouyate, which means "we share a secret". Being brought up in such a family of griots, I played the kora instinctively from an early age.
The Mandinka kora is a unique instrument with a harp-like appearance (21 strings) and a notched bridge similar to that of a lute or guitar. It sounds somewhat like a harp, but it's intricate playing style can be closer to flamenco guitar. (More details at www.koraconnection.com)

Music flowed naturally from my fingers and I was soon playing traditional tunes by ear. I was raised by my grandmother, from whom I acquired a great knowledge of songs based on traditional stories, the bedrock of my repertoire. Later on I fearlessly discarded these established forms and developed my own. As a musician I also broke new artistic ground by accompanying my fellow students' poetry recitals at the university of Cheikh Anta Diop in Dakar, Senegal. I became known as a griot artist by most of my teachers, who, after seeing some evidence of my abilities, gave me the opportunity to perform and to teach the kora in the West African Research Centre (WARC). Many of the American students they host in this centre are very interested in learning about and listening to this instrument belonging to West African culture. I am a member of a folkloric 8 piece band called Lily Group - comprising kora, balafon, keyboard, bass, electric guitar, drums, djembe and a dancer - who recently toured Sicily. In 2003 I made my first trip to the UK and performed solo (voice and kora) in a variety of community spaces - house concerts, mainly organised by Paul Chi of Healthy Concerts and also at a UNICEF charity event.

In the Autumn of 2005 I played several concerts; a particularly successful event was at the School of Oriental and African Studies in collaboration with a Paraguayan harp player, Kike Pederson. I am also teaching the kora in the Music Department at SOAS. Currently (March/April 2006) I am touring in the UK with Nuru Kane and his band The Bayefall Gnawa, who play a unique brand of African desert blues. BBC BROADCASTS I was featured live on Lucy Duran¹s broadcast from WOMAD, August 2005. Also I played on the World Routes program on the BBC Radio 3 on September 3rd, with Fimber Bravo. We were also featured on Andy Kershaw¹s Sunday night Radio 3 programme in September 2005. On September 24th 2005, I performed with a New York jazz group called MALIcool. We played at the Tramway in Glasgow in concert with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra. The two hour concert was broadcast the following week on Radio 3. Recently I have been featured with Kike Pederson on Charlie Gillett¹s BBC World Service music programme. ³Listening to them tonight was to be bathed in sound - it is impossible to avoid metaphors like fountains and waterfalls. The kora-player¹s thumb is always central to his sound, providing the rhythmic pivot around which all the other notes float. In this duo, Kadialy¹s rock solid rhythm enables Kike to take off on the high melodies without having to keep returning to the root. File under: Luxurious.² Charlie Gillett, 14th January .

2006 REVIEWS: HEALTHY CONCERTS "Ranks with the very best music and performances in 10 years of healthy concerts. Instrument - 21 strings of the kora - and audience, tuned in to perfection." (Kadialy in South Kensington house concert 2003) Paul Chi "Kadialy Kouyate held his audience in rapt attention for the duration of his performance, demonstrating exceptional musical gifts - both with kora and voice - and a warmth and humanity that called to the very core of one's being." (Kadialy in Bishopstone house concert 2003) Paul Chi

THE ALBUM: SMALL TALK It came about one night in 2003 when I met Fimber Bravo the steel pan player,for the first time,in a house in Oxfordshire.We played for friends and family present. SMALL TALK has fused two traditions of Africa and the Caribbean,from the griot and the calypsonian. Our traditional instruments,the kora and the steel pan combine in an innovative and contemporary way. Harmonia Mundi are the distributors for SMALL TALK.

WORLD MUSIC MAGAZINES REVIEWS : SONGLINES(JULY/AUGUST 2005) Fimber Bravo and young Senegalese kora (harp-lute)player Kadialy Kouyate found a common thread , and proceeded to weave it into a tapestry of multi-hued beauty. Kouyate takes flight with a beautifully judge solo.The playing is flawless throughout the album.Kouyate by and large steers away from technical pyrotechnics and concentrates on adding dashes of colour and to a consistently engaging rhythmic bedrock. Kouyate delves into the West African storytelling tradition,with songs derived from traditional tales told by his griot grandmother... DAVE OLIVER Kadialy Kouyate, 1/03/2006

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