This segment of the British television series Under African Skies visits Mali, where the tradition of jalis, a hereditary line of folk artists, joins past to present. Kassemady Diabate, a singer who conveys ancestral wisdom dating back to early Manding culture, is the centerpiece of the program. This gifted musician performs in informal settings-a town gathering, a street corner-accompanied by simple string instruments and percussion. Other Malian musicians, such as Salif Keita and Tata Bambo Kouyate, have felt the pull of the outside world and now mix traditional songs with salsa and jazz, or integrate new performance styles. -Steve Seid