Not only is Toumani Diabate a master of the kora, he's also an extremely considerate dude. His in-store performance at Other Music Wednesday night was jam-packed, but Diabate was cool enough to have the audience take a seat on the floor. With everyone’s sightlines much improved, Diabate introduced us to his kora, show-and-tell-style, quietly explaining the instrument’s history (it’s old!), the parts (twenty-one strings on that thing) and what it’s made out of (wood, cow hide and fishing-line). Then he showed us how to play it, gliding into some effortlessly virtuosic jams from “The Mande Variations,” his upcoming disc of solo-kora bliss. We closed our eyes and imagined a dozen cherubs strumming golden harps in deep space. We opened our eyes and saw just one man playing some of the most beautiful music we’ll hear this year—if not this lifetime. Check Toumani's MySpace for the rest of his US East Coast dates, as well as the schedule for his upcoming shows in Australia, New Zealand and Europe. (Thanks to digforfire.tv and Other Music for images.)