Djeli Moussa Diawara (also known as Jali Musa Jawara) was born into a griot family. His father was a balafonist, his mother a chorister. His maternal half-brother was none other than Mory Kanté. According to tradition1, he too became a "jali" or "djeli", the Mandingo term for "griot". He learned to play the balafon, kora and guitar. In the late 1970s, Djeli Moussa moved to Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, where he played with his half-brother, who had just left the legendary Super Rail Band. He then launched his solo career, working with Djenne Doumbia, an excellent singer who would later join Salif Keita's group. In 1983, he released his first LP, Yasimika, still regarded today as a benchmark in African music. After several false starts, he moved to Paris, where his work was recognized by the French press and public. He has since founded the Kora Jazz Trio, joined by Abdoulaye Diabaté on piano and Moussa Cissoko on percussion. He composes many of the group's songs, mainly those in which he sings, as well as playing the Kora and occasionally the guitar. The group has released 3 albums to date (Part I, II & III). He left Kora Jazz Trio in 2011 for personal reasons.