UCSB Arts & Lectures presents Mandé Sila: Habib Koité, Aly Keïta and Lamine Cissokho, 8 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 30 at UCSB’s Campbell Hall.
Named the biggest pop star of the West African nation of Mali by Rolling Stone, Habib Koité’s acoustic guitar technique brings the pentatonic tuning of the griot’s traditional kora to the solos of classic rock.
Koité’s soulful voice and magnetic personality have made him an international star of contemporary world music and inspired collaborations with the likes of Bonnie Raitt, Jackson Browne and Eric Bibb.
In the all-star ensemble at UCSB, two other standard bearers of West African musical traditions join Koité: kora player Lamine Cissokho and balafon master Aly Keïta.
Koité is one of Africa’s most popular and recognized musicians. He comes from a noble line of Khassonké griots, traditional troubadours who provide wit, wisdom and musical entertainment at social gatherings and special events.
Koité grew up surrounded by 17 brothers and sisters and developed his unique guitar style accompanying his griot mother.
He inherited his passion for music from his paternal grandfather who played the kamele n’goni, a traditional four-stringed instrument associated with hunters from the Wassolou region of Mali.
“Nobody really taught me to sing or to play the guitar,” Koité said. “I watched my parents, and it washed off on me.”
The predominant style played by Koité is based on the danssa, a popular rhythm from his native city of Keyes. He calls his version “danssa doso,” a Bambara term he coined that combines the name of the popular rhythm with the word for hunter’s music (doso), one of Mali’s most powerful and ancient musical traditions.
“I put these two words together to symbolize the music of all ethnic groups in Mali,” he said. “I’m curious about all the music in the world, but I make music from Mali.
“In my country, we have so many beautiful rhythms and melodies. Many villages and communities have their own kind of music. Usually, Malian musicians play only their own ethnic music, but me, I go everywhere.
“My job is to take all these traditions and to make something with them, to use them in my music.”
Mandé Sila: Habib Koité, Aly Keïta and Lamine Cissokho is presented by UCSB Arts & Lectures, in association with the UCSB Department of Music.
Tickets are $37.50-$52.50; $15 UCSB students with current student ID. For tickets or more information, call UCSB Arts & Lectures, 805-893-3535, or buy online at www.ArtsAndLectures.UCSB.edu.