"He played those 21 strings with love ... His father, Sidiki Diabaté, was the premier kora player in the years following Mali’s 1960 independence from France, and his mother, Nene Koita ...

The chitchat at Cafe Nine on Wednesday might have been getting a little intense, but a flourish of notes from the 21-string kora of Madou Sidiki Diabaté was enough to silence them. One by one the ...

Musician Toumani Diabaté of Mali and his 21-string kora, photographed at WOMAD -- the World of Music, Arts and Dance festival held yearly in the United Kingdom. Diabaté died on July 19 at age 58.