PHOTO: Bassekou Kouyaté & Ngoni Ba at SFJAZZ Center

"Tonight, you are king and queen," Bassekou Kouyaté joked last night to a jam-packed Miner Auditorium, amid an enthralling two set performance at the SFJAZZ Center. As a griot, Kouyaté traces his musical lineage back to the wealthy West African empire founded by Sundiata Keita in the 13th century, when his ancestors entertained the royal court. Backed by his family, Ngoni Ba, Kouyaté now entertains audiences worldwide, and brings elements of rock and funk into his Malian tradition (occasionally stepping on an effects pedal, electrifying his ngoni). Below are a few photographs from last night's performance.

Plenty more artists from Africa and all around the world are coming to the SFJAZZ Center in 2014. Keep up with the SFJAZZ Calendar. For more photos, check out SFJAZZ Flickr.