Cheick Tidiane Seck placed his hands on a keyboard for the first time in the late 60s, on a harmonium of the Catholic convent in Sikasso, where he was a boarding pupil preparing his junior high diploma. From the age of 12 onwards, he would compose pieces by singing them to his mother, a,famous singer. Realizing he had talent, one of the nuns instructed him in music theory during his 3 years at school there. Diploma in hand, he that studied fine art at the Bamako National Arts Institute, tinkled the keys at night, playing with the Rail Band at the Buffet de la Gare hotel, moonlighting like his idol, Jimmy Smith,. He also made the most of his free time by playing on the Art Institute’s piano when the music students had gone home.He was swiftly adopted by the musical community of the Malian capital, and set off on Africa-wide tours with Les Ambassadeurs. He set up shop in Abidjan before arriving in France in the mid-80s. Since then, he has multiplied collaborations with jazz artists (Randy Weston, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Ornette Coleman ...), African musicians (Manu Dibango, Salif Keita...) and even pop singers (Daman Albarn, Carlos Santana...)