He recalled that his father's style involved combining the functions of bass line, melody, and improvisation, and Diabaté learned to play the kora that way.

In 1988, he released his first album in the West, a solo endeavour entitled Kaira, recorded in one afternoon in London and produced by Lucy Durán.

[10] The Symmetric Orchestra, led by Diabaté, is composed of West African musicians (mostly griots),[11] who play a mix of traditional instruments including the kora, djembe, balafon, and bolombatto, as well as modern ones such as the guitar and electronic keyboard.

[13] In early 2008, Diabaté released a new album of solo kora music, The Mandé Variations, to widespread critical acclaim, including a nomination for a Grammy award.

[9] Many reviewers praised the project for its detailed recording of the kora and careful mastering, in addition to the improvisational skills and wide range of apparent influences on display.

[14] In October 2008, the Arabic-language lyrics in Diabaté's song "Tapha Niang" (from Boulevard de l'Indépendance) were removed from the PlayStation 3 video game LittleBigPlanet, after it elicited objections from a Muslim individual due to their inclusion of verses from the Qur'an.

[15] The publisher, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, decided to delay the launch of the game by a week and recall most discs in order to replace the song with a lyric-free instrumental version.

[16] In December 2008, Diabaté was appointed a United Nations Goodwill Ambassador for the work he did in highlighting HIV and AIDS through his music.

[19][20][21] He was survived by his wives, Fanta Sacko and Sira Diallo, and his sons Balla and Sidiki, with whom he had recorded a Grammy-nominated album of kora duets in 2014.