Lassana Diabaté’s "Cape Breton" resonates across continents

Music that tells a story has a quiet power. Lassana Diabaté invites listeners into a soundscape on "Cape Breton" that is shaped by family history, migration, and deep personal connection. The result is a body of work that feels both rooted in long-standing tradition and very much alive right now.

Diabaté's story starts with his griot family in West Africa, where music is a part of history, memory, and identity. That heritage follows him to the North American coast of Unama'kik (Cape Breton), and you can hear that sense of movement in every note. This isn't just a release, it's a crossing of waters and a weaving of landscapes. The balafón, a traditional melodic percussion instrument, is at the center of the project. Its warm, resonant tones hold the whole record together. Diabaté's first album of only balafón music, Bala, combines traditional songs from the Mande empire with new songs he wrote while living in Unama'kik. The balance is perfect. The old and the new are not at odds with each other, they are in conversation.

Diabaté's unique approach to the instrument makes this release so interesting. He has developed a unique way to play the balafón, enabling him to work easily with musicians from a wide range of musical styles worldwide. That openness makes the music more popular without changing its core. The sound feels both big and small, both public and private.