MAMADOU DIABATE is a master kora player from Mali, West Africa. His musical lineage goes back seven centuries to the time of Sunjata Keita, the conqueror of the Malian empire. He is one of a handful remaining kora players that are keeping alive the kora tradition. This past year Mamadou was awarded 'World Music Artist Of The Year' from the American Folk Alliance. He will be performing material with his ensemble from his new CD Heritage. NUTTIN’ BUT STRINGZ consists of two brothers, Damien and Tourie, from New York City who both play violin. Their music dubbed “hip hop violin” is an intense blending of classical music, jazz, r&b, and yes, hip hop. The brothers studied at the Julliard School of Music and Bloomingdale School of Music and have taken their mastered skill to startling heights including performances at the Apollo Theater, the Tonight Show with Jay Leno and the Ellen show just to name a few. Their new CD is called Struggle from the Subway to the Charts. Less