Seydou Diabate known as « Kanazoé » is recognized by his peers throughout Mandinka Africa as the young genius of the balafon, as much for his technical prowess as his creativity and musicality !

He was born in Burkina Faso, in the Sambla village of Toronso. The Sambla do not just play the Balafon, they speak with this instrument and from the age of five his father trained him and took him with him to lead traditional ceremonies or encourage workers in the fields. Orphaned before he was 10, he left for Bobo Dioulasso where he accompanied his uncle until he had the necessary experience to become a solo balafon. His hard work and his music took him to France in the early 2010s where he created the band Kanazoé Orkestra.

Since the beginning, Seydou “Kanazoé” Diabaté has wanted to share his vision of traditional music with musicians from different backgrounds to create a new style and take the balafon on unexplored paths. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.