Magatte Sow (or Magatte Fall as many people know him) is a three-time GRAMMY Award-winner and credited drummer/composer for the Black Panther and Wakanda Forever films. 

He comes from a long line of musicians, so it is no surprise that Magatte’s first performance experience began at the youthful age of 2 years old for his parent’s West African Drum and Dance Company. During this time Magatte knew that he wanted to be a percussionist, and studied intently on djembe, sabar, and tama. His djembe teachers includes his father Malik Sow and Kissima Diabate. For sabar, he’s studied with Omar Mboup, and Tama he’s studied with the late great Ndongo Mbaye. As he learned, he continued to perform with different artists in Los Angeles; and served his own community by drumming for many dance classes that he continues to do until this day.

As he got older, the demand for his budding talents got greater. He was cast in the movie Amistad and has recorded on albums for Ashley Maher, Angélique Kidjo, Rob Thomas, and many other artists. He has performed on many televised award shows as a percussionist, including the Nobel Peace Prize Awards; and has performed with artists from many different styles of music like Stevie Wonder, Earth Wind and Fire, The Very Best, Andre Manga, Munyungo Jackson, Leon Mobley, Youssou N’Dour, Baba Maal, and Salif Keita, John Legend, Jill Scott, Janelle Monae, Dianne Reeves, Raja Kasis, Paulo Stagaro, and Pedrito Martinez. Magatte Sow has toured with the living-legend Debbie Allen as not just a percussionist, but as a cast member of her musical Oman Oman, and for the past 9 years, has been the percussionist for the world-renowned singer Angélique Kidjo; winning his first Grammy for playing on her Best World Music Album, Eve.

He has played at many different festivals and historic venues both nationally and internationally, including the Blues Festival, Womad Festival, Festival Modial des Art Negres, Newport Jazz Festival, Playboy Jazz Festival, Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall, and opening of the African-American Museum in Washington D.C.; and he is regularly brought to numerous cities in the U.S. to attend drum and dance festivals. For 2018, Magatte holds the prestigious honor of being a credited soloist alongside the great tama player Masamba Diop and world-renown singer Baba Maal on the Black Panther movie score. His musical contributions included him as a djembe and sabar player/composer.

Throughout all of his accomplishments, Magatte never lost the connection to his family and culture in Senegal. In Los Angeles, he is a member of his father’s group Fara Toro, but in Senegal Magatte is a member of Generation Percu and Kondiof, both groups including both his family and friends. He continues to go back to Senegal to learn and to restore keeping that connection alive through music. In Los Angeles, he now assists his father in teaching djembe and sabar through weekly classes to the community, and through school demonstrations within Los Angeles County by way of The Los Angeles Music Center. 

Magatte Sow is an amazing artist, percussionist, teacher, and performer that continues to excite everyone every time he touches a drum. Though he has experienced so much at such a young age, Magatte Sow’s future is very bright; and he will continue to be a trailblazer in every style of music that he approaches.

This performance is part of the Joe’s Pub Vanguard Residency curated by Angélique Kidjo

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Photo courtesy of the artist.