Mamady Kouyate's Mandingo Ambassadors

Mamady Kouyate is one of Guinea's most renowned guitarists and the heir to a long line of griots. Taught by his father, who pioneered the use of the guitar in Guinean griot music, Kouyate first gained prominence as an electric guitarist in the 1970s. He later joined the famous Bembeya Jazz, touring extensively before relocating to the US in the early 2000s. There, he founded the Mandingo Ambassadors, a project that revives the classic 1970s sound of Guinea's legendary Sylliphone recordings, blending intricate vocal and guitar patterns with a tight rhythm section.