Malian come Sydney (since 1994) based guitarist, singer and composer Moussa Diakite's recently released his new album, 'Blue Magic'.
Still brilliantly vibrant at 75 years old, alongside his bandmates Salif Keita and Toumani Diabite, Diakite is internationally recognised as one of the guitarists instrumental in bringing African and world music to the western mainstream.After playing lead guitar in the internationally acclaimed Rail Band, Diakite went onto spend five years playing lead guitar in Grammy Award-winning Kora player Toumani Diabate's (Taj Mahal, Björk, Ali Farka Touré) live band before spending a further five years touring the world doing the same thing with Salif Kieta (Weather Report, Carlos Santana).
Core tracking for 'Blue Magic' was done in Sydney before Diakite then took the tracks to Africa to have traditional West African instrumentation added by some of Mali's finest musicians. The result is an album resplendent with melodic Afro-blues funk groove.
Ernest Ranglin
Ernest Ranglin has been an incredible inspiration to me. Ranglin was born in England, but at a young age returned to Jamaica where he developed into an outstanding jazz musician. He went on to experiment with jazz and reggae to produce ska, and proved to be fundamental in the development of reggae.When he released an album at 74, I thought that's amazing, see it's never too late. He was a fine example of a talented musician who continues to create and develop regardless of his age. Ranglin is now 90 and has just release his latest album, 'Two Colours'.
George Benson
Benson has been fundamental in the development of my style. An African-American pioneer, he was most famous during the '80s and '90s for his unique blend of pop, soul and R&B. My favourite tracks are 'Breezing' and 'Six To Four'.Benson is a fine guitar player – his sense of timing, his smooth groove, his incredible articulation of notes, his power and the flow of energy are remarkable. Listening to Benson just makes me feel happy, and that is something I aspire to do. I like to make music that makes people feel happy.
Benson has provided me with a rich history of music to draw on and has helped me to develop my own unique style.
Wes Montgomery
Montgomery may have died at 45 in 1968, but has had a lasting legacy influencing and inspiring many great guitarists including George Benson. Montgomery taught me a lot about composition.Montgomery had a strong compositional structure, he had fantastic improvisational skills, with a huge octave range. He was a master of rich melodies, one of the truly great guitar masters. His sense of composition, melody, improvisation and octave range has expanded my music sensibility.
