Aly was born 1969 in Abidjan (Côte d’Ivoire), the son of parents from Mali and with the nationality of Mali. Since 2001, Aly lives in Berlin (Germany). He is from a Malinké family that for generations has worked in the profession of „griots“, that is, of traditional singers and musicians. Aly spent his childhood in Abidjan and in Mali where he learned to play the traditional pentatonic balaphon, in the beginning taught by Zouratié Coulibaly. Later, Aly built himself a diatonic balaphon and finally developed the chromatic balaphon which he nowadays mostly plays. He has worked with many well-known artists in African music as well as in Jazz and classical music - Pharoah Sanders, Amadou & Mariam, Trilok Gurtu, Rhoda Scott, Joe Zawinul, Rokia Traoré - and appeared on records by Majid Bekkas, Omar Sosa and Parco Sery, and the band „Kalan Tegan“. Aly has been a guest at important international festivals and has appeared as soloist as well as in ensembles in prestigious concert halls – e.g., in the Alte Oper Frankfurt, the Philharmony at Köln and the Konzerthaus Wien. Aly regularly gives solo concerts. In 2010 he did a two-month tour through Eastern and Southern Africa for the CCF/Institut Francais. In 2012/13 he toured Europe and the USA as the musical leader of „Acoustic Africa“, and 2018 with the project „Kirina“ by Rokia Traoré. His first CD „Akwaba“, done as his own project, appeared in 2007; a balaphon solo-CD appeared in 2010. In the same year Aly received the German world music award „Creole“.

Christian Thomé

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Feb 28, 2025

Cooper: Aly Keita & Christian Thome Percussion and Drum Workshop · Swarthmore College Department of Music and Dance

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