Lifestyle

Toumani Diabaté plucked the kora's 21 strings. The world fell in love with his music

Published

3 hours ago

July 29, 2024

Toumani Diabaté plucked the kora's 21 strings. The world fell in love with his music

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.

Judith Burrows/Getty Images/Hulton Archive

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Judith Burrows/Getty Images/Hulton Archive

“He played those 21 strings with love.”

That’s the great American banjo player Bela Fleck talking about his duets with Toumani Diabaté of Mali — including the crowd-pleaser “Dueling Banjos.”

Fleck called him “one of the greatest accompanists I’ve ever played with.”

It’s one of many heartfelt tributes to Diabaté, who died of kidney failure on July. Diabaté was 58.

His death reverberated throughout the world, with many musicians expressing how profoundly his life had impacted them.

“Toumani was a guardian of our culture, but also a bold innovator who never stopped pushing the boundaries of his craft,” Malian singer Oumou Sangaré wrote on her Instagram page. “His departure leaves an immense void in our hearts, but his musical legacy will continue to resonate within us and inspire generations to come.”

Like father and mother….

Toumani Diabaté was born into a centuries-old family of griot musicians, who have preserved the stories and traditions of Mali’s Mandé empire, once the largest in West Africa, through their music. His father, Sidiki Diabaté, was the premier kora player in the years following Mali’s 1960 independence from France, and his mother, Nene Koita, was an accomplished singer.

Diabaté, who had always been expected to carry on his family’s longstanding musical legacy, taught himself to play his father’s instrument.

His technique was vividly showcased in his innovative solo albums, Kaira (1988) and The Mandé Variations (2008). On Kaira — which was released shortly after he turned 21 — his graceful shifts between melody and bassalways sounded like he was singing as much as playing.

Diabaté also created a more expansive project called Symmetric Orchestra. This large ensemble brought together instruments and repertoires from across the former Mande Empire with added textures and punch from American and European strings and horns. Diabaté included original compositions alongside new adaptations of griot songs.

As Diabaté wrote in the liner notes of the orchestra’s 2006 album, Boulevard De L’Independance, “One of the philosophies of Symmetric is the encounter of generations. The old generation has its experience in music, the new generation has its madness in music.”

Diabaté’s enthusiasm for improvisation and sharing kora music throughout the world led to several successful collaborations. He recorded with legendary Malian guitarist Ali Farka Touré and another great kora player, Ballake Sissoko. Diabaté also worked with artists whose backgrounds were different from his own. These collaborations included jazz and blues musicians, Spanish flamenco groups and the London Symphony Orchestra.

Taj Mahal: ‘It was like 500 years of separation no longer existed’

Through his music, he promoted his own heritage while also helping to show how much that culture was part of a shared language. Blues guitarist Taj Mahal and Diabaté teamed up for the 1999 album Kulanjan along with a small group of Malian musicians. The album features a rich blend of American acoustic folk and blues along with Malian musical styles. Mahal’s gruff voice creates a compelling contrast with the higher registers of the Malian instrumentalists and singers. Despite their seemingly different styles, Mahal found a mutual musical understanding in their collaboration.

“It was never like, ‘You play this, I’ll play that.’ We just played together, looked at each other and it was done. Just like that. It was like 500 years of separation no longer existed,” Mahal said.

Béla Fleck collaborated with Diabaté for a series of concerts in 2009. Some of the performances are included on their album, The Ripple Effect, which was released in 2020. A sense of joy comes through their quickly shifting tempos and shared sense of humor, evident in moments like Diabaté’s playful musical response to Fleck’s snippet of “Oh, Susannah” on the track “Kauonding Sissoko.”

“Toumani was incredibly sweet from the start. He always called me ‘my brother,’ which made me feel very privileged,” said Fleck. “Toumani had elegance. That’s the thing I think about, and that amazing touch of his.”

‘A great artist who belongs to the world’

Iranian kamancheh player Kayhan Kalhor was one of Diabaté’s most recent collaborators, with their duo album, The Sky Is The Same Colour Everywhere, released last year. Their pairing began with an invitation to perform together at the Morgenland Festival in Osnabrük, Germany, where they met just hours before their first concert. The album was recorded after a brief European tour, but their musical interplay suggested a much longer partnership.

“We came two different cultures that see music in the same way. Improvisation being one of the major aspects. The other aspect is that our musical cultures go way back,” Kalhor says. “When you’re that deep in the culture and know the music of that culture really well, it gives you the freedom and the vision to add to it. So it’s not surprising that a musician of Toumani’s caliber and stature adds something to the music that the younger generation uses.”

Kalhor added that while Diabaté is a part of Mande culture, ultimately his music connects with everyone.

“Vincent Van Gogh, Paul Cézanne, Akira Kurosawa and Abbas Kiarostami are great artists who belong to the world,” Kalhor said. “So I don’t see Toumani as a kora player from Mali, I see him as a great artist who belongs to the world.”

Aaron Cohen is the author of Move On Up: Chicago Soul Music and Black Cultural Power (University of Chicago Press) and Amazing Grace (Bloomsbury). He teaches humanities and English composition at City Colleges of Chicago and regularly writes about the arts for such publications as the Chicago Tribune, Chicago Reader and DownBeat.

Lifestyle

Britney Spears Not Selling Thousand Oaks Home Despite Listing, MLS Hack to Blame

Published

4 hours ago

July 29, 2024

Press Room

Britney Spears Not Selling Thousand Oaks Home Despite Listing, MLS Hack to Blame

Britney Spears‘ home popped up on the market Monday — which got her fans thinking she was ready to get the hell outta Cali … but she isn’t going anywhere, TMZ has learned.

Eagle-eyed sleuths probably noticed BS’ Thousand Oaks mansion show up on real estate sites as being listed for sale Monday — and it looked like she was trying to unload it for just under $9 million … at least based on the public listing.

the hacked britney spears listing

However, despite the fact this info got published and went wide everywhere — multiple sources with direct knowledge tell us the whole thing was a hack … and Britney is NOT packing her bags.

We’ve learned someone hacked into the Multiple Listing Service — MLS — and posted the fake listing. Other real estate sites, including Realtor.com and Zillow, then picked it up and the fake listing spread like wildfire.

Britney's Thousand Oaks Mansion sub

Our sources tell us Brit’s management team noticed the listing Monday — which had some big wig real estate agents attached. We’re told Brit’s team hit these agents up … and the agents said they had no involvement whatsoever.

TMZ Studios

Unclear who hacked the MLS, but in any case … we’re told the powers that be have already yanked it off the service.

Mystery solved!

Lifestyle

Video game performers call strike against gaming companies

Published

10 hours ago

July 29, 2024

Press Room

Video game performers call strike against gaming companies

SAG-AFTRA members picket outside Paramount Studios in 2023. Members of the union were on strike between July and November during negotiations with Hollywood film and television studios. Now, the focus is on video games.

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Actors and performers in the union SAG-AFTRA have declared a strike against video game companies. Starting on Friday, members of the union will stop any voice acting, motion-capture work, stunts, and more that appear in video games.

SAG-AFTRA has been negotiating with companies including Activision, Electronic Arts, WB Games, and Disney for over a year and a half. Union members approved a strike authorization in September.

The use of A.I. in video game development has become a central issue in negotiations: “We’re not going to consent to a contract that allows companies to abuse A.I. to the detriment of our members. Enough is enough,” SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher wrote in a statement today.

SAG-AFTRA National Executive Director Duncan Crabtree-Ireland wrote that video game performers deserve “fair compensation and the right of informed consent for the A.I. use of their faces, voices, and bodies.”

Actors and studios make a deal to end Hollywood strikes

But the video game producers see their offer as strong. “We have already found common ground on 24 out of 25 proposals, including historic wage increases and additional safety provisions,” Audrey Cooling, a spokesperson for video game companies involved in the negotiations, wrote today. “Our offer is directly responsive to SAG-AFTRA’s concerns and extends meaningful AI protections that include requiring consent and fair compensation to all performers working under the [Interactive Media Agreement].”

Between July and November of last year, SAG-AFTRA members were on strike against major Hollywood studios.

Editor’s note: Many NPR employees are members of SAG-AFTRA, but are under a different contract and are not on strike.

Lifestyle

8 of the best L.A.-area hikes, according to our readers

Published

11 hours ago

July 29, 2024

Press Room

8 of the best L.A.-area hikes, according to our readers

Truism No. 1: Los Angeles is a patchwork of vast hiking terrain, with about 1 million acres in the L.A. area. The Angeles National Forest alone offers 700,000 acres and 8,000-foot-plus peaks to explore.

Truism No. 2: Even the most comprehensive hiking guide can’t possibly incorporate every craggy nook and spindly trail. Which is partly what makes the area so inspiring — there’s a sense of expansive adventure, with still-uncharted territory ahead.

We asked Times readers for their favorite hidden or go-to hiking spots that were not included in our recent guide.

And in our request, we were reminded of Truism No. 3: Hikers can be secretive about their favorite getaway spots, lest they become overrun with foot traffic. Of the letters we received, a few said things like “I don’t want to tell you, b/c then it’ll get crowded. LOL!” and “I’ll keep it to myself. Don’t want the litter or the crowds.”

We can respect that.

Here are a few hiking journeys that readers were willing to share.

Victory Trailhead Loop

Distance and elevation gain: 5.1-mile loop, 408 feet

Why? “Has everything anyone would want from a local trail. Caves to explore and an overall great way to exercise on a daily basis.”

What makes it extra special: “It sits in a very suburban area but when you’re on the trail, it doesn’t feel that way. Feels very remote and far, good for clearing your mind without traveling too far.”

Address: Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Preserve, western end of Victory Boulevard in Woodland Hills

—Jose Arias, San Fernando Valley

A view of the Hollywood sign, with a backdrop of the snow-capped San Gabriel Mountains, from atop a hiking peak in the Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area.

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

Kenneth Hahn Recreation Area

Distance and elevation gain: 2.8-mile loop, 393 feet

Why? “Some nice elevation, some good exercise if you use the entire loop, but it’s really for incredible, unobstructed, panoramic views.”

What makes it extra special: “Best of all, you can bring your dog. (On a leash, but please bring water for you and the dog!)”

Address: Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area, 4100 S. La Cienega Blvd., Los Angeles

—Steven Matthews, Los Angeles

Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook and Culver City Steps

Distance and elevation gain: 1.4-mile loop, 334 feet

Why? “Stairs, stairs and stairs.”

What makes it extra special: “Four times up is roughly the equivalent number of floors to climbing the stairs to the top of the Empire State Building! And even the switchback way up still gets you a nice workout. (Many dogs seen, but not permitted legally!)”

Address: 6105 Hetzler Road (at Jefferson Boulevard), Culver City

—Steven Matthews, Los Angeles

Two folks walk along a dirt path towards a hill in the distance. The trail is surrounded by dark green flora.

Caballero Canyon Trail

Distance and elevation gain: 1.4 miles out and back, 558 feet

Why? “Ideal for fleeing the oppressive heat notorious for yellowing armpits in that particular part of town. A few alluring features of this trail are the diversity of flora and fauna up for the gawking, the breath-snatching panoramic views, and the scarcity of crowds and inexplicable abundance of parking. It’s a veritable paradise plunked in the middle of sweltering nowhere.”

What makes it extra special: “I enjoy the scramble and huff up the challenging crags. I’ll sometimes trail run up and will have to bound over a basking, slumbering snake or two. Harmless but spooked. Not to mention the scramble of feral rabbits darting every which way as I come lumbering down the path. It’s that kind of ravenous tranquility no amount of yoga or meditation can ever hope to attain. No small amount of nirvana, I say.”

Address: Topanga State Park, 4047 Reseda Blvd. in Tarzana

—Tommy Vinh Bui, Pacoima

Sunrise at the Forrestal Nature Preserve.

Forrestal Preserve Loop

Distance and elevation gain: 2.9-mile loop, 757 feet

Why? “I like to make a loop of the Pirate Trail, Mariposa Trail, Flying Mane Trail, Fossil Trail and back on Forrestal Drive to the starting point.”

What makes it extra special: “Stunning ocean and coastline views. Hillsides covered with wildflowers the last two springs in April and May. Even a small stream, which is very rare in Palos Verdes.”

Address: 32201 Forrestal Drive, Rancho Palos Verdes

—Jay Bacon, Palos Verdes Estates

Los Leones Trail

Distance and elevation gain: 4.0 miles out and back, 1,046 feet

Why? “Love this hike because it’s an easy-to-get-to hike with beautiful views. And it’s a good workout, but not too challenging to do every week.”

What makes it extra special: “For me, there’s a sense of peace here — you feel like you’re almost on a mini-vacation, even though you’re 20 minutes from home.”

Address: 585 Los Liones Drive, Pacific Palisades

—Janette Haddad, Santa Monica

Griffith Zoo to Observatory Loop

Distance and elevation gain: 7.4-mile loop, 1,702 feet

Why? “Challenging, but worth the scenery and a pleasant walk in nature all year long.”

What makes it extra special: “[Taking] control of such tough hiking heights.”

Address: Griffith Park, merry-go-round lot 1 or 2, 4668 Crystal Springs Drive, Los Angeles

—Jaime Vargas Sr., San Bernardino

Upper Cabin Trail Loop

Distance and elevation gain: 8.8-mile loop, 2,683 feet

Why? “It’s secluded and dreamy, plus fun scrambling up to the backside of Sandstone Peak.”

What makes it extra special: “Wildflowers like nothing I’ve ever seen around the L.A. area in the spring. And when the clouds roll in as you hike to the summit above them, it’s quite magical. The way back has treacherous eroded mini-canyons, you have to surmount carefully, so the reward at the end makes it much better.”

Address: 4124 1/2 Potrero Road, Thousand Oaks

—Panit Buranapramest, Gardena