BALLAKE SISSOKO & BABA SISSOKO

Sissoko And Sissoko HOME

8/10

African stringed magic from griot cousins

Kora player Ballake Sissoko is best known for his elegant duets with Toumani Diabaté, but Baba Sissoko is just as eminent in West African music circles on the funkier, banjo-like ngoni. Taking turns to lead over the dozen tracks, the stringed synergy between the two cousins is hypnotic. On “Sigi Gno Gonya”, Ballake strikes up a stately kora melody before Baba nudges the tune into a syncopated desert-blues groove, while on “Djamu Djakoli” Baba’s ngoni begins with an earthy riff which is then turned weightless by the lyricism of Ballake’s kora. By the end it is unclear who is leading whom as they push and pull in perfect calibration.