This May 29, 2024, Boubacar Traoré known as “KarKar” and Habib Koité, with his group Bamada, were gathered in Brussels as part of a mini-European tour. This double concert, held to a sold-out audience in the Flagey hall, highlighted Malian blues, in a form of reunion for these two legends of Malian music. Reporting.
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Habib Koité is a griot. Boubacar Traorehe fell into music out of passion as a young adult in the late 1950s. Both from the Kayes region, they draw inspiration for their music from their region.
Two hours before the concert, during rehearsals, it is with tenderness and respect thatHabib Koite listen to the advice of your elder: “ His music rocked our childhood and it’s lucky that I’m here, next to him, making music and he too is playing his guitar that I’ve been listening to for ages. What inspires me about him is that he has this way of playing the guitar which at the same time plays accompaniments, but also the melodies which are sung by the voice. It’s his style of play, and those two are what make KarKar. »
“ These are jewels that we have here on earth and we must take advantage of them »
First to go on stage, accompanied by Vincent Bucher on harmonica and Jérémie Diarra on calabash, Boubacar Traoré, seated on a chair due to his 80 years, pierces the room with his powerful and melancholy voice. From the first notes, the audience is spellbound. Because Boubacar Traoré recounts his love of Mali and the upheavals of his life with emotion.
At the end of the concert, it’s a standing ovation for musicians. Perter Van Rompaey, director of Muziekpublik, and organizer of the evening, relishes: “ It was a unique opportunity. These are jewels that we have here on earth, and we must take advantage of them because life is short. We don’t know if they will be there in 10, 15 or 20 years and we will no longer have the opportunity and we will regret it. They are monuments and, sometimes, we do not care about these monuments, they are there and we sometimes do not realize what value, what pearls and what beauty we have. And now we have the opportunity to welcome them here. We are very happy. There you go, it’s a gift. »
At the end of the show, Habib Koité and Boubacar Traoré are all smiles. Side by side with their guitars, they sing one last song together on stage with around ten musicians. In a mix of rock and blues, they promoted Malian music for almost three hours.