Ballaké Sissoko

Ten fingers for twenty-one strings, and magic takes place, surely, calmly. Ballaké Sissoko enlaces us in his suave and crystalline sonority and his kora, magnified by his talent as a melodist and an improviser. Standard-bearer of ancestral traditions, descended from the great Manding masters, Ballaké has established his reputation as one of the best players of the new generation by developing a very personal style. Ballaké Sissoko a great master of the Manding Kora, a twenty-one-stringed harp whose crystalline sound has conquered the international public. Ballaké is one of the best Kora players of the new generation. He started learning the instrument at a very young age with his father. Having played with the prestigious Ensemble Instrumental du Mali (Instrumental Ensemble of Mali) and accompanied many female Malian singers, he earned his reputation by performing solo, in a duo with Toumani Diabate, with Taj Mahal, and with a number of other musicians. Open to all adventures and encounters Ballaké is an over-talented instrumentalist who, drawing on tradition for inspiration, has forged his own personal style. An inspired improviser and a subtle melodist, he is a marvellous accompanist and an excellent composer.