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 guitar for Guinean griots by transcribing traditional kora and balafon lines, Mamady made his mark in the 1970s within Guinea's national bands during the Authenticité movement. A former member of the legendary Bembeya Jazz, he relocated to the US in the early 2000s to form the Mandingo Ambassadors. This group serves as a vehicle for his music, preserving the classic 1970s sound of Guinea's iconic Sylliphone recordings through dazzling vocal and guitar patterns supported by a precise rhythm section.