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Kélétigui Diabaté, born in 1931 in Kita, Mali, was a prominent Balafon player from a family of renowned Griot musicians. In the late 1950s, he joined the Orchestre de la Garde Républicaine for tours across West Africa and was a founding member of Formation A of the Republic of Mali in 1960. Diabaté later became part of Les Ambassadeurs, led by Salif Keïta from 1972 onwards. He developed his unique balafon style after performing with American jazz musicians like Lionel Hampton and Ella Fitzgerald in 1978. His solo album, "Sandiya", was released in 2004. Diabaté passed away on November 30, 2012, in Bamako.
