Soul-nourishing original kora music rooted in the hereditary jaliyaa tradition of the Konteh family.
Carrying the legacy of their griot family heritage, Jali Bakary Konteh and Mafu Conteh, our roots, hold the living musical inheritance passed down from grandfather Alhaji Bai Konte through Jali Bakary’s father Dembo Konteh and other griot teachers.
Learning the tradition from the womb, listening to the traditional instruments in their family's griot compound, where a living tradition is passed down through each generation, growing like a tree with new branches, leaves, and flowers.
From the 2026 album Jahtoe by Konteh Jaliyaa Legacy.
Our first release in July 2026 is an original work in the key of E whose beautiful, soul-nourishing melodies and rhythmic intricacies reflect the dance of a peacock named Honk, who became a fixture in Jahtoe Studio’s forest garden in 2026. Honk’s dance includes a shake of his train that is reminiscent of Jali’s rhythms and a dance comparable to the elegance of Mafu’s melodies.
Son
Composer, kora player, and bearer of the Konteh Jaliyaa memory, carrying the family memory and sound into new rhythmic and melodic territory that came from his international experience.
Now a dual UK and Gambian citizen, Jali has carried the tradition around the globe with each experience building upon his expression as his rhythms evolved into an uncommon soul-nourishing enchantment that is noted by other griots as original, gifted and impressive.
Father
Dembo became one of The Gambia’s important international kora voices, touring and recording with the kora while keeping the Mandinka jali tradition alive through song, praise, history, melody and his family.
His music did not simply preserve what came before him. It kept the family sound moving, breathing, and speaking to new audiences.
The Konteh griot tradition is a living tradition with each generation adding their own roots according to their hearts.
Grandfather
Alhaji Bai Konteh stands at the root of the present-day international kora story.
In 1973, he became the first kora soloist to bring the Gambian jaliyaa tradition to major North American audiences, performing at landmark festivals including the Newport Jazz Festival and helping introduce the 21-string kora to listeners far beyond West Africa.
The Konteh family thank Marc Pevar who brought Bai to North America has documented these events on his site Great Gambian Griots
Grandson
A kora voice known for melodic soloing, precision, and the ability to reshape inherited forms into deeply beautiful new performances.
Mafu’s father, Allieu, who Bai sent to Nouakchott, Mauritania, to live and study Koran, arranged for Dembo, to become a stepfather to Mafu so he could study the griot tradition he had not.
Mafu remains rooted in Gambia, in part due to financial support from Jahtoe Studios, passing on the tradition to the next generation.
Our Roots
Jali Bakary Konteh carries the Konteh kora lineage as a hereditary Mandinka jali: a musician, composer, keeper of family memory, and representative of a tradition that joins music, history, praise, rhythm, and social memory.
His music and words echo his roots while also carrying the marks of a life that moved beyond The Gambia. After moving to the United Kingdom and becoming an international artist, his rhythmic imagination widened to form unique entrancing patterns.
Within Konteh Jaliyaa Legacy, Jali Bakary’s compositions and rhythmic brilliance remain firmly rooted in tradition of his family’s legacy. New works such as Sama a modification of traditional melody blossom into an extraodinary melody that captivates.
Our Roots
Many musicians and griots, who have experienced his talent, regard Mafu Conteh as one of the finest melodic kora soloists of his generation.
He developed his own style of soloing using only his thumbs that other more traditionally taught kora players are unable to master.
In Konteh Jaliyaa Legacy, Mafu paints a layer of melodic soloing that is astonishing. He has become a master of modifying the melodies of his ancestors, adding beauty.
His magical kora vibrating through the universe, making melodies that soothe our souls and slow our hearts. Many griots believe Mafu Conteh is the best melodic soloist in the world.
Jali Bakary Konteh
A brilliant fusion of traditional West African folk, Afropop, and subtle jazz influences. The 9-track album features beautifully arranged melodic and rhythmic compositions.
The album serves as his first major solo studio effort since his 2010 debut Konteh Kunda, showcasing how much his solo artistry and global collaborations have evolved.
Mafu Conteh and the Kilee Boom Boom Band
Their primary album releases include a two-part collection, Hakili Tenkung Fana Foloh which is available for streaming and Hakili Tenkung Fana Fulanjawo which is available for download only.
These albums are made for soul nourishment. Perfect for quiet reflection and relaxation.
The Ensemble
The lineage is the root. The ensemble is the present form.
Kora
Hereditary jali, composer, and central lineage bearer. His rhythms and compositions connect the project directly to the Konteh family memory.
Kora
A soul-nourishing kora voice with a rare melodic sense, bringing clarity, speed when needed, restraint when needed, and beautiful solo development.
Bass
Provides a deep foundation for the kora, supporting the music with bass lines that move with the melody instead of simply sitting beneath it.
Rhythms and production
Shapes the rhythm and production, focusing on live recordings that capture the live feelings between the players.
The 2026 Jahtoe Studios recordings brought together the four members of what then became Konteh Jaliyaa Legacy to record an acoustic album. Prior to this, the kora voices that had already built public identities in different settings had never before recorded an album together.
Jali Bakary’s Path
Public listings describe Jali Bakary Konteh as performing solo, with his own band Minyanta, and with Balimaya Project. His recorded path also includes the album Konteh Kunda.
Mafu’s Path
Mafu Conteh’s public recordings and projects include Sabaro, solo kora videos and arrangements, and the live studio work of Mafu Conteh and the Kilee Boom Boom Band, including Hakili Tenkung.
2026
Those separate paths now meet in one room. Jali Bakary Konteh and Mafu Conteh unite with Alas Faal and Greig Jahtoe to record the first Konteh Jaliyaa Legacy album titled Jahtoe.
Follow our journey as we release the songs from the album Jahtoe throughout 2026
Learn Where the Music Lives
Study Mandinka music within the Konteh family compound and experience daily life alongside the griots who carry this musical tradition.
The school welcomes Gambian and international students interested in kora, melody, rhythm, performance, and cultural exchange. Two guest bedrooms allow visiting students to stay within the kunda and focus fully on the music.
Following the Footsteps
Konteh Jaliyaa Legacy hopes to retrace what footsteps they can from the historic journeys of their ancestors, including the North American kora tours of Alhaji Bai Konte, Dembo Konteh, and the Konteh family lineage.
These journeys carried Mandinka jaliyaa, kora music, family memory, and Gambian culture into major festivals, radio, television, and concert spaces. For Jali Bakary Konteh and Mafu Conteh, returning to some of those places would be a way to honour the elders who carried the kora before them.
Winnipeg holds special meaning for the band. Alhaji Bai Konte performed at the Winnipeg Folk Festival in 1979, and Greig Jahtoe was raised in Winnipeg and attended the festival in his youth. To perform there one day would be more than a concert. It would bring together Greig’s childhood city and the ancestral road of the Konteh family.