The Coulibaly brothers, born in Burkina Faso North-West Africa, are the direct descendants of a family of griots of the BWA tribe.
In West Africa, griots are the revered ‘‘keepers’’ of their people’s oral and musical heritage and they pass it down
from generation to generation through their percussive rythmes and dance.
They are the sacred gardiens and messengers of their people’s history, traditions and culture.
The band
| Djouma Coulibaly |
: |
singer and dancer |
| Mariam Coulibaly |
: |
singer and dancer |
| Kassoum Coulibaly |
: |
djembe, doundoum, singing |
| Oudou Coulibaly |
: |
djembé, bara |
| Alaye Diarra Coulibaly |
: |
balafon, djembe |
| Kalifa Diarra Coulibaly |
: |
djembe, doundoum |
| Lassina Coulibaly |
: |
doundoum, tama, chant, arrangeur |
| Souleymane "Solo" Coulibaly |
: |
balafon and djembe soloist, singer, writer, composer, dresses and instrument maker |
The history
Geneva 1989
Invited in 1989 by the Ethnomusicology Workshop of Geneva, the Frères Coulibaly taught traditionnal african dance and percussion classes.
From there, they were invited to Germany, the Netherlands and England: the public was instantly won over by their music and charm. A perfect balance between their visual presence
and their musical virtuosity has captivated audiences ever since
1990
The following year, they were joined by their older brother, Souleymanne, and were invited to play at the Montreux Jazz Festival which was this year under the direction of QUINCY JONES.
1991
They were so well received that Claude Nobs, the director of the Montreux Jazz Festival, added two supplementary performances.
They shared the stage with such greats as Georges Benson, Miles Davis, Al Jarreau, Ray Charles, Mel Mellow, Toots Thielmans and many more.
1991 - 1993
1991 - Geneva - Concert for the W.H.O. (World Health Organisation) with a song in french written by Ousséni in the fight against AIDS
1992 - Paris - Concert with Michel
Portal, Daniel Humair, Mino
Cinélu and David Friedmann
1993 - They came out with their first CD
« Anka-Dia » (Harmony).
They organise in Tunisia african dance and
percussion workshops
1994 - 1995
1994 - Tour with Salif Keita,
Césaria Evora, Khaled and
Johnny Clegg around Spain..
1995 - Tour organised by Baaba Maal with Peter Gabriel
and Youssou N’Dour around Africa.
1996
This year marked the enlargement of the group and the addition of dance to their show: nieces and nephews were recruited and the group grew to eight artists.
1997 - 2001
1997 – 2000
- a series of special concerts «A Tribute to Rhythm» with the tabla virtuoso Zakir Hussain and
the ex-member of Japan’s Kodo
percussion ensemble, Leonard Eto.
2000 – 2001
- Came out with their 2nd CD «Seniwe» (solidarity) featuring the entire new ensemble. Promotional world tour for their new CD: USA, Malaisia, Germany, Austria, Israël.
2002
United States tour from New York
to California (26 concerts)
European tour:
Carlos Santana invites Les Frères Coulibaly to share the stage with
him in Zurich before 50’000
spectators.
In november, Ousséni died from
a long standing illness.
Despite his passing, their music continues to honor the life and richness of their brother taken much too soon.
2003 - 2004
2003 – World tour:
Sweden, Australia, New
Zéland, Japon (with the Kodo), Singapour, South Africa,
then Europe. Paleo Festival in Nyon, Switzerland, with Salif Keita.
2004 – United States tour:
28 concerts in one month!
Concerts in Germany, Italy, Switzerland.
Concert in Africa in hommage to Ousséni with Youssou N'Dour and many other famous african stars.
