Will Calhoun's Mali Project

Friday, May 15th, 2026

The Sultan Room
234 Starr Street, Brooklyn

Doors: 7 PM | Show: 8 PM

Tickets: Advance – $27 | Day of Show – $35

Standing Room Only

Don't miss the NYC debut of The Will Calhoun Mali Project - a captivating musical endeavor spearheaded by the Grammy Award-winning artist, producer, and percussionist from Living Colour. Will Calhoun dedicated years to traveling, researching, and immersing himself in West African music, combining the traditional rhythms he studied with jazz, rock, and hip-hop. The exploration resulted in collaborations with esteemed Malian artists, such as Yacouba Sissoko and Oumou Sangaré — including a memorable moment when he opened for the Malian superstar at her Apollo Theater debut in 2022, presented by WMI. Malian keyboardist, singer, and composer Cheick Tidiane Seck will join the performance. Seck, one of the founding members of the legendary Super Rail Band de Bamako, has been a living link between jazz and West African musical traditions for over five decades, both as a solo artist and as a key collaborator and arranger for everyone from Salif Keita, Youssou N'Dour, and Fela Kuti to Hank Jones, Joe Zawinul, and Carlos Santana.

Full list of performers:

Will Calhoun -drums/electronic indigenous percussion
Cheick Tidiane Seck - keyboards, vocals
Adama Bilourou-djembe/percussion, balafon
Diabate Kouyate-guitar
Kabine Kouyate- lead vocals

WMI's COLLABORATIONS series presents cross-cultural musical explorations and collaborations. The series often explores how the music of artists from one culture has influenced the music of another culture, or how the music of seemingly widely varying cultures can be strikingly similar or complementary.

ABOUT WORLD MUSIC INSTITUTE:

Founded in 1985 as a not-for-profit, World Music Institute (WMI) has served as one of the leading presenters of world music and dance within the United States. WMI is committed to presenting the best in traditional and contemporary music and dance from around the world to enrich lives through the arts, promote awareness and appreciation for the world's rich cultural traditions, and encourage cross-cultural dialogue and exchange. WMI presents at venues throughout the city and depends on both public and private funding to accomplish its mission.

The program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, as well as he Howard Gilman Foundation and The Samuels Foundation.