2007 BAM Rhythm & Blues Festival at MetroTech: Toumani Diabaté's Symmetric Orchestra

The Malian kora master Toumani Diabaté and his Symmetric Orchestra bring the thrill of their all-night sets in Bamako to downtown Brooklyn.

A West African griot (a poet/musician considered to be keeper of oral traditions) and one of the first to introduce the 21-string kora to audiences around the world, Diabaté is both a gallant guardian and daring innovator of African musical traditions, rocketing back and forth between social commentary and astounding virtuosity, anticipation, and exhilaration.