As a boy in Mali, Balla Kouyaté remembers playing the balafon to motivate workers on a farm. He was so small, he had to stand on a large rock to be seen by the crowd. An opportunity like that would ...

The balafon, a musical instrument from West Africa, is being considered for inclusion on Unesco's Intangible Cultural Heritage list. The instrument is built up from 17 to 21 wooden slats on top of two ...

Trio Da Kali are a Malian power trio of voice, balafon and n’goni, and this is mostly their album. Kronos Quartet set Western chamber music in dialogue with its West African counterpart in ways that ...