JALI FILY CISSOKHO

One of Senegal’s renowned musicians from the ancient family tradition of kora players, Cissokho, in addition to playing solo traditional Mande music, has also performed and recorded in many cross-cultural settings and festivals, in Senegal, Europe and UK (main stage Glastonbury /Womad ). His diverse collaborations include Toumani Diabate/ Baaba Maal/ AR Rahman (Bollywood film) and Will Gregory (Goldfrapp). The Coute Diomboulou Band led by Cissokho, (who formed the group in Senegal in his early teens) is composed of musicians, mostly griots, from the old Mande Empire of West Africa. They play a mix of traditional instruments including the kora, tamma and djembe with modern counterparts: electric guitar, bass, and drum kit. Band members have also collaborated with many internationally famous artists including Senegal’s super star Youssou N’Dour. Deep in the heart of this band is the trance-inducing sacred rhythms that invoke other worlds, that call down the spirits, but at the same time bring together the heart of ancient Africa and the bustling energy of modernity. The music is an extraordinary mix of Senegalese mbalax, afrobeat, complex, grounded in African traditions – and indescribably funky. One constant throughout is Cissokho’s extraordinary kora playing, demonstrating how he picks three parts at once: bass line, melody and improvisations above them, mixing fearsome technique with a deep humanism and ability to improvise scintillating runs out of thin air. JALI FILY CISSOKHO-kora/vocals (Senegal) AMADOU DIAGNE-drum kit/tamma (Senegal) SYLVAIN NDIAYE-guitar (Senegal) SUNTOU SUSSO- djembe (Gambia)