Contemporary heritage: this was the goal set for himself by Sory Kandia Kouyaté, faithful to Sékou Touré's policy of “cultural authenticity”, which called for the development of an innovative style based on the different musical idioms of the peoples of Guinea. But all accounts attest to his insatiable curiosity about scales, musical practices and instruments from other parts of the world.
Kaabi worked in the same spirit, admitting that he needed time to understand the scope of such a legacy. He trained with the National Pioneer Brigade of Guinea, then with the orchestra Les Fils du Raïs (from the Gamal Abdel Nasser Polytechnic Institute), before working with Papa Kouyaté (see the hit album Kouyaté et Kouyaté) and then touring the world with Souleymane Koly's Kotéba troupe (see the opera Waranba), pianist Cheick Tidiane Seck and jazz singer Dee-Dee Bridgewater.
