Fatoumata Diawara
RESCHEDULED FROM FEBRUARY 20
Malian singer-songwriter Fatoumata Diawara (aka Fatou) is “the most beguiling talent to hit the world music scene in some time” (Daily Telegraph). She along with her rocking band, extend Mali’s rich musical legacy with songs about love, politics, and power mixing high-energy jazz and funk into joyous and sensual folk-rock, inflected with the rhythms and melodies of Fatou’s native Wassoulou. Fatou is an unforgettable live performer who brings the music to fever pitch before exploding into the Malian didadi dance.
Fatou was born of Malian parents in the Ivory Coast in 1982. As a child she became a member of her father's dance troupe. She bounced back and forth between Mali and Paris pursuing an acting career. In 2002, she began singing in Parisian clubs and cafes during breaks from the stage. There she met Cheikh Tidiane Seck, the celebrated Malian musician and producer who invited her to travel with him back to Mali to work on two projects; 'Seya' the Grammy nominated album by Mali's star Oumou Sangaré and 'Red Earth' the Grammy winning Malian project by American jazz singer Dee Dee Bridgewater. She worked to complete an album's worth of songs for which she composed and arranged all the titles, as well as playing guitar, percussion, bass and singing lead and harmony vocals. An introduction from Oumou Sangaré resulted in a record deal with World Circuit and the recording of her debut album. Between recording sessions she found time to collaborate on Damon Albarn's Africa Express and contribute vocals to albums by Cheikh Lô, AfroCubism, Herbie Hancock's GRAMMY winning Imagine Project and Orchestra Poly-Rythmo de Cotonou. She has shared bills with Paul McCartney, Babba Maal and Amadou and Mariam, among others. 8pm $23,$20 mbrs, $26, $23 mbrs doors.
