Trio Da Kali is a group of outstanding musicians from the Mande culture of southern Mali, who come from a long line of distinguished griots (hereditary musicians). With vocals, the ngoni and the balafon, they create authentic Malian music that moves you to the core.

All three Da Kali members come from celebrated hereditary musical families, and were brought together as a griot ‘super-group’. Singer Hawa ‘Kassé Mady’ Diabate is the daughter of Mali’s greatest traditional singer, Kassé Mady Diabate. The power, range and phrasing of her voice makes comparisons with the queen of American gospel Mahalia Jackson inevitable. Bass ngoni player Mamadou Kouyaté, the eldest son of the instrument’s greatest exponent Bassekou Kouyaté, and balafon player Lassana Diabaté, who has honed a virtuosic two-balafon technique to perfection, combine to create an enchanting sound.

Da Kali means ‘to swear an oath’, in this case to keep the musical tradition of the Mande jeli alive. And they’ve kept promise: we had to wait twelve years for it, but in 2025 the trio’s debut album was finally released. On Bagola, they bring together generations of musical and storytelling traditions with influences from jazz, Afro-Mexican music and classical compositions. Live, this results in a magical experience you won’t want to miss.