HABIB KOITÉ, ALY KEÏTA, LAMINE CISSOKHO – Mandé Sila

The Cedar Presents

Tuesday, March 24, 2026 / Doors: 7:00 PM / Show: 7:30 PM

All Ages

Seated

This is a seated show with general admission, first-come-first-served seating. The Cedar is happy to reserve seats for patrons who require special seating accommodations. To request access accommodations, please go to our

For Cedar presented shows, online ticket sales typically end one hour before the door time, and then, based on availability, tickets will be available at the door. Tickets purchased at the door will include a $1 Eventbrite fee.

One of Africa’s most popular and recognized musicians, Habib Koité is a modern troubadour with extraordinary appeal due to his musicianship, wit, and wisdom. Koité’s history with The Cedar runs deep – he’s performed here 6 times, dating back to 2008, and we are excited to welcome these world-class artists back to our stage.

Malian guitarist Habib Koité is one of Africa’s most popular and recognized musicians.

Habib comes from a noble line of Khassonké griots, traditional troubadors who provide wit, wisdomand musical entertainment at social gatherings and special events. Habib grew up surrounded by seventeen 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," explains Habib, "I watched my parents, andit washed off on me."

Habib was headed for a career as an engineer, but on the insistence of his uncle, who recognized Habib's musical talent, heenrolled at the National Institute of Arts (INA) in Bamako, Mali. In 1978, after only six months, he was made conductor of INA Star, the school's prestigious band. He studied music for four years, graduating at the top of his class in 1982. (In fact his talent was so impressive, that upon graduation, the INA hired him as a guitar teacher).

During his studies, Habib had the opportunity to perform and play with a series of recognized Malian artists, including Kélétigui Diabaté and Toumani Diabaté. He sang and played on Toumani Diabaté's 1991 release Shake the World (Sony), and Kélétigui Diabaté became later now a fulltime member of Habib’s band.

Habib takes some unique approaches to playing the guitar. He tunes his instrument to the pentatonic scale and plays on open strings as one would on a kamale n'goni. At other times Habib plays music that sounds closer to the blues or afrocuban, styles he studied under Khalilou Traoré a veteran of the legendary Afro-Cuban band Maravillas du Mali.

Unlike the griots, his singing style is restrained and intimate with varying cadenced rhythms and melodies.

Mali has rich and diverse musical traditions, which have many regional variations and styles that are particular to the local cultures. Habib is unique because he brings together different styles, creating a new pan-Malian approach that reflects his open-minded interest in all types of music. The predominant style played by Habib 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. 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.”

To learn more about HABIB KOITÉ:

• Visit his website here

Aly Keïta, a virtuoso of the Balafon, was born in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. From his youngest age, he was introduced to the instrument by his father, himself a Balafon player.

The West African musician gained worldwide recognition for his mastery of the balafon, which he has been playing since childhood, and has now made it to the side of the best: Omar Sosa, Joe Zawinul, Rhoda Scott, Paco Séry, Pharoah Sanders, Paolo Fresu, L. Subramaniam, Trilok Gurtu & Jan Garbarek, Shai Maestro, Hans Lüdemann Trio Ivoire, to name just a few.

Today, Aly Keïta lives in Berlin and connects musical worlds with the impressive virtuosity. He wanders between spectacular African rhythm, polyphony and jazz elements, and combines them to create a wonderful and unique sound world – two magical hands and a thousand and one strokes.

In 2022 Aly Keïta has won the German Jazz Prize in the category "Special Instruments".

“I want my music to be alive and full of energy, hope and love, music that I can share with the audience and through which the audience and I can share our joy.”

To learn more about ALY KEÏTA:

• Visit his website here

Lamine Cissokho is a « griot » born in Casamance, south of Senegal. A griot is, in Western Africa, a member of a hereditary caste whose function is to keep an oral history and to entertain with stories, songs and music.

Lamine is the descendant of a famous griot family whose traditions date back to the 14th century. He was introduced to the kora as a child by his own father, Sana Cissokho, one of the great name of this generation. Lalo Keba Drame, considered as the king of the kora, was Lamine’s grand-uncle and inspirer.

At the beginning of his career Lamine learned and performed almost traditional Mandingo melodies. These traditional pieces passed down from generation to generation.

He quickly developed a taste for composition and arrangement. He has so far composed and arranged about 200 own songs which are inspired the Mandingo tradition but are revisited by touches of jazz, oriental music and nordic folk chords. Lamine is constantly seeking to extend the musical possibilities of his kora and to integrate various influences into his creation.
His « out of the box » tune of the kora make him quite unique.

To learn more about LAMINE CISSOKHO:

• Visit his website here

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