DJESSOU MORY KANTE

The parents of Djessou Mory Kanté had many children and at one point his father's compound was home to more than twenty. Among these was the future friend and colleague of Salif Keïta, Kanté Manfila who first found fame in the 1970s as guitarist and chef d'orchestre for Les Ambassadeurs. A little further down the line came Djessou Mory Kanté who now, after the sad death of his elder brother in 2011, has stepped up to the mark with his own unique interpretation of the family tradition.

It was a close relative of Djessou Mory, Facelli Kanté, who is credited as introducing the guitar to Guinea. Whether one person alone could achieve this is open to question, but there's no doubt it was Facelli, who in the 1950s along with the ill-fated cultural activist Fodéba Keïta and Les Ballets Africains, who first brought the beauty of this region's music to the wider world.

Today Djessou Mory is one of those favoured guitarists to whom others turn. His compositions have been covered by musicians such as John Williams and his touring as a regular member of Salif Keïta's band has taken him around the world.