Mali's virtuoso of the kora harp Toumani Diabate, son of the Sidiki Diabate who recorded the first album ever of kora music, Ancient Strings (1970), introduced elements of minimalism, psychedelia and blues into his solo kora album Kaira (1987), recorded when he was barely 21. Songhai (1989) added flamenco and jazz to the recipe. Songhai 2 (1995) and Djelika (1995) were transitional albums, but New Ancient Strings (1999), a collaboration with kora virtuoso Ballake Sissoko, and Kulanjan (1999), a collaboration with Taj Mahal, continued the progress towards an austere and elegant form of kora music.

The spectral In The Heart Of The Moon (2006) documented an improvised session with Ali Farka Toure.

His Symmetric Orchestra, founded in the 1990s, blends traditional and western instruments (notably Bassekou Kouyate on the ngoni). It is documented on Boulevard de l'Independance (2006).

The solo-kora album The Mande Variations (World Circuit, 2008) is the natural follow-up to Kaira. Unlike that classic, it broadens the range of inspirations by moving beyond Mande folk music, from other world-music (the ten-minute Si Naani) to Ennio Morricone soundtracks.

He was quickly forgotten by the Western audiences, despite Korolen (2021), which documents a live performance of 2008 with the London Symphony Orchestra, and the live Symphonie Mandingue (2011), which contains the 18-minute Soudiata featuring female griot Kandia Kouyate', and mostly recorded collaborations with other musicians such as Ali and Toumani (2010), a collaboration with Ali Farka Toure', and The Ripple Effect (2020) with Bela Fleck.

Diabate died in 2024 at the age of 58.