Aly Keita

Biography (french version see below) Aly Keïta, the Ivory Coast balafon player was born in 1969 in Abidjan. From an early age, he was initiated in the playing of this musical ancestor of the xylophone and the marimba, by his father, himself a balafon player. In other words, in the Keïta family the balafon is a serious matter. Aly’s balafon is first and foremost a work of art. In some ways, Aly is the “king” of musical tuning: he has customized his string and wood instrument by adding different sized calabash resonators, making it sound like no other balafon on earth. In his compositions, Aly speaks about everyday life, orphans and mothers, and men’s shame... The musical translation is that of a virtuoso of mallets. Aly becomes part of his instrument, caressing it with tenderness, striking it with force and at great speed. He is a magician, a sorcerer who expresses the joy of life through his art.