Description
This is a pre-order. It will ship on or around 1/22/27
Etoile Audio and Nonesuch Records release Héritage, the last album from Malian kora master Toumani Diabaté— playing in a quartet with his sons, Sidiki, Balla, and Ahmed—on January 22, 2027. This was the first album the Grammy-winning Toumani made with his three sons, who are all accomplished musicians and kora players, before he passed away in July 2024 after a short illness. Earlier that year, he gathered his sons to create his dream project: making music together in an ensemble of koras. Héritage was recorded in the Diabatés’ Bamako family home. Toumani’s eldest son Sidiki explained, “He wanted to present his family, his heritage, and the work he’s done to the world. His idea was for it to be like a choir, a choir of koras; well organized, well played, very gentle, and very spiritual.”
Toumani Diabaté, who comes from a long hereditary line of master musicians and griots, was revered as both the guardian of an ancient musical tradition and as a bold, boundary-crossing experimentalist. He earned acclaim for inventive solo records as well as collaborations with Björk, Blur’s Damon Albarn, Dee Dee Bridgewater, American bluesman Taj Mahal, and jazz trombonist Roswell Rudd, among others.
Toumani Diabaté’s album with his Symmetric Orchestra, Boulevard De L'independance (2006); his solo album, The Mande Variations (2008); his Grammy-winning duet records with the legendary Ali Farka Touré, In the Heart of the Moon (2005) and Ali and Toumani (2010); and his duo album with his eldest son, Toumani & Sidiki (2014) all were recorded for World Circuit Records and released by Nonesuch in North America.
Sidiki, Balla, and Ahmed Diabaté's releases span afropop, afrobeats, hip hop and R&B, alongside traditional griot music. Following Toumani & Sidiki (2014), Sidiki Diabaté has released multiple albums that have garnered international acclaim: Diabateba Music, Vol. 1 (2016); Lamomali (2017) with French multi-instrumentalist -M-; Béni (2019) and Kora Lover (2024). Sidiki Diabaté recently headlined Paris' Bercy Arena, where he was joined on stage by Balla and Ahmed and shared the first live performance of music from Héritage.
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