NEKOBALA, a musician admired on the web thanks to his talent for the use of an instrument called BALAFON. The BALAFON, also called BALA or BALANI, is a melodic idiophone percussion instrument originating in Mali. 
But who is NEKOBALA? 
The real name of NEKOBALA is Donatien KONE, originally from Katiola (Ivory Coast). Passionate about BALAFON, he learns it by himself. At the end of 2004, he entered the National School of Music, where he discovered the Mandinka BALAFON towards which he was heading. In 2006, then in the third year, he finally followed the courses of pentatonic BALAFON (senufo) with Master N'GoloCOULIBALY and continued the diatonic BALAFON (Mandingo) as an autodidact. With his friends, he founded the band Yaal Feel, which practices jazz fusion and ethnic jazz.In 2012, he joined the Kanian group as a balafonist soloist. In 2013, thanks to a project initiated by balafonist Ba Bang Nyeck, supported by UNESCO. Nekobala meets the chromatic BALAFON and his master. He was introduced to the practice of the four mallets and adopted the instrument to which he had devoted himself ever since. He then composed several pieces of music for BALAFON chromatique. And performs great classical, modern, Western and African pieces, thus developing a rich repertoire for balafon. Since 2013, he has been a BALAFON teacher at the Ecole Supérieure de Musique et de Danse d'Abidjan. He approaches the study and practice of the balafon as a scholar of contemporary music and a defender of African cultural values. In 2015, he created the group BALAKO, a quintet composed of three chromatic BALAFONS and percussion. How many albums have you recorded so far? Which? I have an album: "Aujourd'hui". 
For more information about the album, we invite you to consult its Facebook account. Apart from the BALAFON, do you also play other instruments? I play piano, guitar, drums, ahoko and sanza. How did you manage to integrate your first National School of Music? I joined the National School of Music through a competition. Before joining the National School of Music, what were your ambitions? I had the ambition to learn the piano. When I entered, I discovered a whole universe and I turned to African instruments. In addition to being a music teacher, do you have other professions? I am also a webmaster. Do you teach beginners or experienced people? I teach everyone. Before watching the video, we provide you with his Facebook and Instagram account. Just Focus offers you the song of jerusalema replayed with the balafon by NEKOBALA. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbA8W2FJ-80
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