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Salif Keita moved to Bamako, the capital of Mali, in 1967, and began playing in nightclubs with one of his brothers. Two years later, he joined the popular Rail Band, which performed as part of the African Music Festival in New York this past summer under its new name, the Super Rail Band. After playing with the Rail Band for four years, Keita and bandleader Kante Manfile, a guitarist and composer, started playing with the rival Les Ambassadeurs, which, together with the Rail Band, helped refocus African music on dance in the sixties and seventies and raised its popularity to a new level. Rapidly becoming a key champion of Afro-pop, Keita catapulted to fame throughout Africa when he received the National Order of Guinea in 1977 from President S?kou Tour?. After moving to France in 1984, he rocketed to international stardom, working with Mory Kante, Toure Kunda, Papa Wemba, and many other African pop musicians. In recognition of his impact as a musician, Rhythm magazine wrote, "Keita opens his mouth and out comes the stunning voice of a prophet."
Salif Keita blends the jeli (or griot) singing tradition of his childhood with musical influences from Guinea, Ivory Coast, Senegal, Cuba, and Western Europe. Frequently utilizing a strong foundation of guitar, organ, and saxophone, he accentuates his modern sound with traditional African instruments like the kora, the balafon, and the djembe. His albums Soro (1987) and Ko-Yan (1989) set new standards for African popular music. His 1991 album, Amen, featuring Carlos Santana and Wayne Shorter, made Keita the first African bandleader nominated for a Grammy award. Keita has recorded over nine solo albums including Seydou Bathili, the soundtrack to L'Enfant Lion, The Mansa of Mali...A Retrospective, and Folon...The Past. His most recent album, Papa, co-produced by Black Rock Coalition founder Vernon Reid, features guest appearances by Reid, Grace Jones, and organist John Medeski.
Quincy Troupe interviewed Salif Keita in November 2001, when Keita was an artist in residence at New York University's Africana Studies Program. Before the interview, the audience got to see the film Salif Keita: Destiny of a Noble Outcast, a British film made in 1990 by Chris Austin.
Valerie Thierre-Thieme, translated Keita's words during the interview.
QT: We are privileged this evening to...