Senegalese kora player Ablaye Cissoko shares the stage in a striking collaboration with French accordionist and composer
Cyrille Brotto. Together, they create an exotic, yet strikingly modern sound that melds the deep traditions of their very
different musical cultures and showcases their unique artistry.
Cissoko is one of his generation’s finest kora players – a traditional stringed instrument used extensively in West Africa that
combines the features of the lute and harp. An avid cross-cultural collaborator, he incorporates Mandinka griot traditions
with contemporary musical creation, performing with artists across genres, including world music, jazz, classical and
baroque. Brotto is an accomplished diatonique accordionist and multi-instrumentalist, with a distinguished performing and
educational profile in France and across Europe. The rapport between these two artists is evident in their mesmerizing
music.
Ablaye Cissoko and Cyrille Brotto perform a gift of poetic imagination and musical intelligence, at times so harmonious that
it seems as if touched by grace.