Magatte Sow (he/him)
Magatte Sow—or as many people know him, Magatte Fall—is a three-time Grammy Award winner. Coming from a long line of musicians, he began performing at the youthful age of two for his parents’ West African drum and dance company. His djembe teachers include his father Malik Sow and Kissima Diabate. For sabar, he studied with Omar Mboup and Chiekh Tirou Mbaye; and, for tama, he studied with the late great Ndongo Mbaye. He was cast in the movie Amistad and has recorded on albums for Ashley Maher, Angélique Kidjo, Rob Thomas, and many others. Sow has performed on numerous televised award shows as a percussionist, including at the Nobel Peace Prize Awards, and has appeared with artists from many different styles of music, including Stevie Wonder, Earth Wind and Fire, The Very Best, Andre Manga, Munyungo Jackson, Leon Mobley, Youssou N’Dour, Baba Maal, Salif Keita, John Legend, Jill Scott, Janelle Monae, Dianne Reeves, Raja Kasis, Paulo Stagaro, and Pedrito Martinez. Sow has toured with Debbie Allen as both a percussionist and cast member in her musical Oman Oman, and for the past 12 years has been the percussionist for Angélique Kidjo (winning his first Grammy Award for playing on her Best World Music Album Eve). Sow holds the distinction of being a credited soloist on the Black Panther movie score.