In one sense all musical instruments are magical, given the impact they may have on our lives. Widespread oral traditions attribute the origins of the kora to this specific place on the Gambian coast.

When Ballake Sissoko, a renowned kora player from Mali, looked in his case at his Paris home after flying from New York, he found the instrument in pieces.

Although making the instrument is a solitary affair, leaning how to play it is all about family. Mamadou’s grandfather, father Djelimory and cousin Toumani are all well-known kora players.

Toumani Diabaté, a Malian virtuoso of a 21-string instrument known as the kora, who brought a rich West African musical legacy to audiences around the world with genre-mixing collaborations ...

The hallowed tradition of kora playing in Sona Jobarteh’s family passed down the male line. One of her teachers dismissed it as “an ethnic thing.” But it has brought her international acclaim.

Musician Sean Gaskell will give two performances and presentations on the kora, a 21-stringed harp from West Africa, in February in the Inland Empire.

In her hands, the 21 metallic strings of the kora -- an instrument shaped like a lute and plucked like a harp -- to create captivating melodies over repeated rhythms.

Musician Toumani Diabaté of Mali and his 21-string kora, photographed at WOMAD -- the World of Music, Arts and Dance festival held yearly in the United Kingdom. Diabaté died on July 19 at age 58.

A famed Malian musician took to social media on Wednesday to mourn the loss of a priceless instrument he claims was destroyed by the Transportation Security Administration at JFK Airport.

From generation to generation, stories, songs and history are passed down through western African Griots — hereditary historians — who are tasked with the knowledge of over 800 years of ...

Musician Toumani Diabaté of Mali and his 21-string kora, photographed at WOMAD -- the World of Music, Arts and Dance festival held yearly in the United Kingdom. Diabaté died on July 19 at age 58.