Salif Keïta (musician)

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With Les Ambassadeurs at the TFF Rudolstadt , 2015
Salif Keïta 2006 in Washington with members of his band

Salif Keïta (born August 25, 1949 in Djoliba , Mali ) is an internationally known singer and songwriter of African pop music .

Life

Salif Keïta comes from a noble family that goes back to Sundiata Keïta , who founded the Mali Empire in 1240 .

Salif Keïta was the third of thirteen children of the landowner Sina Keïta and grew up in Djoliba. In his childhood and youth he was exposed to discrimination, because in the Mandinka culture it is seen as a sign of impending misfortune when a person is born with albinism . His desire to become a singer led to conflicts, as this profession did not correspond to the social status of his family. He defied these norms and traditions and went to the capital Bamako at the age of 18 . There he made his living as a street musician and played in bars before joining the government-sponsored band Rail Band in 1968 , which played in the Bamako train station hotel and was a career springboard for various West African musicians, including Mory Kanté and Kanté Manfila .

In 1973 he became a member of Kanté Manfilas band Les Ambassadeurs , which he led together with this. In the mid-1970s he and his band fled the political unrest in Mali to Abidjan ( Ivory Coast ), and the band name was changed to Les Ambassadeurs Internationales with the aim of building an international career. In 1977 Keïta received the National Order of Guinea from President Sékou Touré , to whom he dedicated the album Mandjou in 1978 as a homage , which was very successful. A three-month stay in New York followed from the end of 1980 . The Ambassadeurs Internationales achieved international renown.

In 1984 Keïta performed with great success at a festival in Angoulême , which prompted him to move to France. He settled in Montreuil near Paris and began a solo career from there, working with artists such as Joe Zawinul , Toumani Diabaté , Cesária Évora and Carlos Santana , among others .

In his music he combines traditional West African styles of music with influences from Europe and North America , including stylistic elements of jazz , pop and funk . Musical instruments that Keïta uses in his pieces include balafon , djembe , guitar , kora , organ , saxophone and synthesizer .

On his album Sosie , Keïta interprets French chansons using West African stylistics. Salif Keïta dedicated a song to the South African freedom fighter and President Nelson Mandela .

Keïta is the father of Paralympic athlete Nantenin Keïta .

Awards

Film appearances

  • In the French film Sirga - Die Löwin (L'Enfant Lion) from 1993 Keïta played a guest role as a magician . Some of the film music was also written by him.
  • In 1999 he played the biblical figure of Esau in the film La Genése (German title: Cain's heirs ).
  • In 2001, Keïta's song Tomorrow (Sadio) was used as a score in the film Ali by Will Smith .
  • In 2003 Keïta appeared in the music documentary Feel Like Going Home by Martin Scorsese . The film deals with the roots of the blues and looks for them in Africa, among other places.

Discography

Albums

year title Top ranking, total weeks, awardChartsChart placements
(Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes)
Remarks
FR FR
2002 Moffou FR38 (27 weeks)
FR
2005 M'bemba FR34 (21 weeks)
FR
2009 La différence FR44 (23 weeks)
FR
2011 Anthology FR190 (2 weeks)
FR
2012 Talé FR117 (5 weeks)
FR

More albums

  • 1982: Seydou Bathili
  • 1987: Soro
  • 1989: Ko-Yan
  • 1991: Amen
  • 1993: L'Enfant Lion (with Steve Hillage )
  • 1994: The Mansa of Mali… A Retrospective
  • 1994: Folon ... The Past
  • 1994: 69-80 (with Les Ambassadeurs)
  • 1997: Sosie
  • 1999: dad
  • 2001: The Golden Voice - The Best of Salif Keïta
  • 2004: Remixes From Moffou
  • 2018: Un Autre Blanc

Singles

year Title
album
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements
(Year, title, album , rankings, weeks, awards, notes)
Remarks
FR FR CH CH
2002 Madan FR37 (16 weeks)
FR
CH66 (10 weeks)
CH

literature

  • Chérif Cheikh M. Keita: Salif Keita, L'ambassadeur de la musique du Mali . Grandvaux, Brinon-sur-Sauldre 2009, ISBN 978-2-909550-65-7

Web links

Commons : Salif Keïta  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. a b c d e JazzEcho - Salif Keita: Salif Keïta - M'Bemba. September 30, 2007, accessed June 14, 2020 .
  2. a b c d Salif Keita: Biography - Albums. In: Wrasse Records. Retrieved June 14, 2020 (English).
  3. a b c Craig Harris: Salif Keita | Biography & History. In: Allmusic. Retrieved June 14, 2020 (English).
  4. Quatre filles handicapées en or (French) . In: Le Parisien , November 20, 2008. 
  5. Article at schwaebische.de , accessed on January 18, 2015
  6. a b Chart sources: FR CH