Sweetness of tone, finesse of melodic lines, fluidity of the touch, virtuosity without ostentation, purity and generosity — all of these qualities are combined in this stellar musician.

Ablaye Cissoko is a part of new generation of artists from Senegal. Griot living in Saint Louis in Senegal, he incarnates the encounter between Mandinka traditions and contemporary musical creation.

Used to perform in world music, jazz and even classical or baroque music universes, Ablaye Cissoko is probably one of the most crossover african artist, and one of the top#3 kora player in the world.

As impressive as a singer than an instrumentist, Ablaye Cissoko is an artist without any frontiers, who knows how to renew his musical universe and surprise us again and again.

Since his first album “Diam” released in 2003, he performed on all continents, in many music genres, and shared studio or stage with famous artists such as Randy Weston, Eric Bibb, Constantinople & Kiya Tabassian, Omar Pene, Cheikh Tidiane Seck, Simon Goubert, Volker Goetze, Sophia Domancich, Majid Bekkas, Hervé Samb

History

Kimintang Mahamadou Cissoko was born in 1970 in Kolda. His father (and father’s father…) was a Griot (storytelling musician). He made his first appearance on stage with his kora at the age of 12 before entering the conservatory of music in Dakar. In 1985, Ablaye Cissoko moved to Saint-Louis, Senegal to join the Saint-Louis Jazz Orchestra composed of African and European musicians.

In 2003 pour he recorded his first compositions on ‘Diam’, then in 2005 on ‘Le Griot Rouge’ which tells the West African legend of the Kimintang, the red griot.

With these albums he became internationally recognised as a part of a new generation of artists who incarnate the crossover between Mandinka traditions and contemporary musical creation.

After working with Omar Pene, François Jeanneau, Emmanuel Bex, and François Verly on various projects, in 2009 he joined the New York based German trumpeter Volker Goetze in making ‘Sira’ on which they confront tradition and modernity, Jazz and African music in an incredibly beautiful way.

Other than making music, Ablaye Cissoko’s goal is to “ease men’s souls”. With this feeling, and with the talented Moroccan multi-instrumentalist Majid Bekkas, came a mix of Jazz, Arabian, Oriental and African music on the album “Mabrouk”.

Ablaye Cissoko got back together with Volker Goetze in 2012 for “Amanké Dionti”. This time with emphasis on the urban world and African landscape. It was released with the help of la BNP Paribas foundation, which has been accompanying him through his carrier ever since. This album met a nice success since about 10.000 copies were sold in French stores.

Still in 2012, “African Jazz Roots”. French pianist and drummer Simon Goubert collaborated to make original music that truly mixes west African and Jazz sensibilities.

Ablaye Cissoko decided to get back to his african and mandinka roots in 2013 releasing “Mes Racines” recorded with his Senegalese live band “Corda Ba”.

After the success of their previous album “Amanké Dionti”, the aerial and cristalline duo composed of Ablaye Cissoko and Volker Goetze released “Djaliya” in 2015, a third and last album. Accompanied by the French percussionist François Verly, operates the magic again …

Since 2014 he works with the famous Ensemble Constantinople lead by Iranian musician Kiya Tabassian. Together they provide a poetic encounter between strings and voice, from the epics of the Mandingo Kingdom to the music of the Persian court … They released 2 albums (“Jardins Migrateurs” in 2015 and “Traversées” in 2019).

All these projects demonstrate that Ablaye is an artist without any frontiers, barrier, who knows how to renew his musical universe and surprise us again and again.