Friday, April 14, 2017 ♦ 8:00 PM
4544 N Lincoln Ave · Gary and Laura Maurer Concert Hall · 773.728.6000
The 'golden voice of Africa' (fRoots), Salif Keita has been at the forefront of modern Malian music for many years. Keita has extended musical frontiers and carved out a distinctive musical voice, in which rock, funk and jazz combine with the deepest West African griot traditions.
“The best thing about him was his voice. A grainy and searing tenor, its power continues to drop jaws, and cause goosebumps” – 4 Stars, Evening Standard
Salif Keita was born on August 25, 1949 in Djoliba, Mali. Salif Keita is a direct descendant of Sunjata Keita, who founded the Malian Empire in 1240, however, because he was born with albinism, a sign of extreme bad luck in Mandinka culture, he was ostracized by his family and left home as a teenager. He soon joined up with the Super Rail Band de Bamako, a government-sponsored Afro-pop orchestra, and garnered national acclaim. His choice to become a musician was taboo, as members of the royal caste are forbidden from becoming musicians, a profession generally reserved for the lower jeli (griot) caste.
The Old Town School of Folk Music, Inc.
4544 N. Lincoln Avenue, Chicago IL 60625 • 773.728.6000