Kasse Mady Diabate, Southbank Centre

Kasse Mady Diabate’s musical pedigree is impeccable. Descended from a long line of West African griots stretching back to the 13th century, the singer has been a mainstay of Malian music for the past four decades, with a big, rich and surprisingly versatile voice. His collaborations over the years have been a who’s who of the scene, and his work has encompassed everything from Afro-Cuban jazz to dancehall – always underpinned by a deep understanding of the traditional folk music of his ancestors.
Despite his veteran status, Diabate seems as energetic as ever, and he’s coming to the Southbank Centre off the back of a new album. Kirike is a relatively understated, acoustic affair, but no less compelling for that, packed with slow-burning vamps and hypnotic rhythms that the intimate surroundings of the Purcell Room will only serve to enhance. The concert features the same faultless line-up as the album: Ballaké Sissoko, Makan Tounkara and Diabate’s nephew Lansine Kouyate, playing kora (a cross between a harp and a lute), ngoni (a kind of West African banjo) and balafon (a wooden xylophone) respectively.
All the makings of a great gig are here. But the Purcell Room only has 365 seats – so don’t hang about for tickets.