Ablaye Cissoko & Cyrille Brotto

Intimate duo on West African harp and accordion.

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In the past twenty years, Ablaye Cissoko became one of the highest acclaimed players of the kora, the West African double harp. He also sings in the tradition of the ‘griots’ or storytellers he’s related to. A remarkably fragile, warm and sensitive affair is his recent album Instant, that he recorded with French accordion player Cyrille Brotto. ‘A gem’, according to Songlines Magazine. ‘The accordion adds a melancholy, faintly Celtic drone to Cissoko’s elegant arpeggios.’

Hailing from Senegal, Ablaye Cissoko previously formed a surprising duo with trumpeter Volker Goetze, with whom he recorded three albums. He also collaborated with the likes of Randy Weston, Eric Bibb, and the Constantinople Ensemble. Cyrille Brotto is specialized in the diatonic accordion, and has been gaining recognition for some time in French folk music. As a duo they connect Southern French folk with the Mandingo tradition from West Africa.