Trio Da Kali
Trio Da Kali is a griot music group from Mali constituted of three members: Hawa Kassé Mady Diabaté, Lassana Diabaté and Mamadou Kouyaté. The latter is the son of the Ngoni master Bassekou Kouyate.
Da Kali means 'to give a pledge' – in this case to their musical heritage, that of the Mande jelis which dates back to the time of Sunjata Keita, founder of the great Mali empire in the early 13th century.
The trio has collaborated with the American string quartet Kronos Quartet with whom they have recorded an award-winning album, Ladilikan, which includes arrangements of two tracks by American gospel singer Mahalia Jackson, as well as important pieces from the Mande jeli repertoire such as Sunjata and the love song Tita. The two groups toured together in many cities across the world.
