Aly Keïta was born in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. He started learning the instrument at a young age from his father, who was himself a Balafon player. In 1986 Aly met the pianist Georges Makinto, who introduced him to jazz and encouraged him to play modern music as well. Aly then developed and adapted his own diatonic Balafon, which opened up new possibilities for him in many different musical styles and repertoires.