Biography
Hailing from one of African music’s most influential families, the African Virtuoses comprise three brothers—Abdoulaye, Sire, and Sékou Diabaté—whose lineage traces back through generations of griots renowned as troubadours, storytellers, and kora players. Although the siblings were expected to master the kora, an instrument of African descent resembling a guitar, they belonged to the first generation that carried this expertise and musical sensibility over to the guitar. Their older brother, Papa Diabaté, receives broad recognition for having introduced the electric guitar across their homeland of Guinea, thereby establishing it as the dominant sound in African pop throughout the 1960s and ’70s. While many artists would later adopt the instrument, the Diabaté brothers ranked among the earliest to employ the guitar as a vehicle for conveying their deep musical traditions.
The brothers first appeared on record during the late ’70s and early ’80s, issuing their debut album as a trio in 1983. Titled The Classic Guinean Guitar Group, the release presented Abdoulaye, Sire, and Sékou alongside an array of traditional instruments as they reinterpreted contemporary pop and folk material. Although the recording enjoyed regional popularity at the time, it remained largely unknown beyond West Africa until Stern’s Africa issued it nearly twenty-five years later. Their subsequent album, Nanibali, Balade Sur la Lagune, followed a comparable path, achieving wider attention only after an international release that came years after its initial regional appearance.
The African Virtuoses attained global recognition in 2007, when the debut album received fresh promotion throughout Europe. The Classic Guinean Guitar Group occupied the summit of World Music Charts Europe for several months, drawing the attention of listeners interested in world music and jazz worldwide.
The brothers first appeared on record during the late ’70s and early ’80s, issuing their debut album as a trio in 1983. Titled The Classic Guinean Guitar Group, the release presented Abdoulaye, Sire, and Sékou alongside an array of traditional instruments as they reinterpreted contemporary pop and folk material. Although the recording enjoyed regional popularity at the time, it remained largely unknown beyond West Africa until Stern’s Africa issued it nearly twenty-five years later. Their subsequent album, Nanibali, Balade Sur la Lagune, followed a comparable path, achieving wider attention only after an international release that came years after its initial regional appearance.
The African Virtuoses attained global recognition in 2007, when the debut album received fresh promotion throughout Europe. The Classic Guinean Guitar Group occupied the summit of World Music Charts Europe for several months, drawing the attention of listeners interested in world music and jazz worldwide.
Albums