Womad

Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba

Mali's triumphant album-of-the-year heroes

Despite having spent many years as a sideman to some of West Africa's greatest musicians from Ali Farka Toure to Youssou N'Dour, even Bassekou Kouyate could not have anticipated the sensational success of his debut recording under his own name. Released in spring 2007 and recorded with his band Ngoni Ba, Kouyate's Segu Blue received a raft of five-star reviews and triumphed at this year's BBC Radio 3 Awards for World Music, picking up two awards including the coveted Album Of The Year accolade. Born on the banks of the River Niger, he began his career playing with kora maestro Toumani Diabate in the 1980s and his belated emergence as a star in his own right marks the recognition of the ngoni as one of the key instruments in African music. Although considerably less well-known than the kora, the ngoni has been central to griot storytelling since the 13th century - although it must be doubtful whether anyone has ever been played with quite such funky virtuosity.

Biog by Nigel Williamson