N’famady Kouyaté / The Successors of the Mandingue and Friends

N’famady Kouyaté is a young master musician from Guinea (Conakry), now based in Wales.  A talented multi-instrumentalist who wowed audiences across the UK and Ireland during autumn/winter 2019/20 with his modern interpretations of traditional West African Mandingue songs and rhythms by supporting Gruff Rhys on the Pang! album tour.  N’famady’s primary instrument is the balafon – a traditional wooden xylophone, sacred to West African culture and his family heritage of the griot.

This event sees N‘famady with a full band line up as The Successors of the Mandingue – where his arrangements are a fusion of Mandingue African and western European jazz, pop, and funk influences provided by an amazing collective of musicians.  Instrumentation includes balafon, keyboards, drumkit, djembe, guitars, kora, congas, saxophone, trumpet, and callabash.  N’famady’s performances create amazing atmospheres and vibrations wherever he goes, and audiences are charmed by his infectious enthusiasm and joy.

The band will be joined by friends including Lisa Jên.

**The bands new EP ‘Aros i fi yna’ will be launched at the event also**