A Friendship Reconnected Across the Atlantic
Lindsey Schust and Papa Zani Diabaté (aka: Sinaly “Papus” Diabaté) first met and began collaborating in the late 1990s. Though their lives eventually placed them on opposite sides of the Atlantic—Lindsey in New England and Papa Zani in Bamako—their musical bond never faded. In 2022, they reconnected through video calls and online collaboration, leading to the creation of the Mali America Music Project.
This transatlantic project blends traditional Malian music with modern influences such as salsa, blues, reggae, and jazz, while remaining firmly rooted in cultural respect and shared history. The music stands as a living testament to the legacies of Zani Diabaté, Babatunde Olatunji, and the enduring traditions of Malian music.
A long musical journey. . .
This album was really born in 2002 when Papa Zani and Lindsey met in Switzerland to produce an album, concert and workshop series with their friends Caleb Cressman and Sho Iten. As a result of that teaching and performing residency, they put out a hit single called “Yiriba Ye” (big tree)- a traditional Malian song which they arranged for guitar, harpsichord, and jazzy harmonies. This song became a favorite on Mali radio and also inspired Lindsey to get her masters degree in music composition from Tufts University.
Fast forward to 2022, when smart phones enable lightening fast and relatively cheap communication between New Hampshire and Mali, West Africa, and these two friends decided to start a new project, Mali America Music, a cross-cultural music album and music video project co-produced across two continents.