Artist Profiles: Baba Sissoko

Baba Sissoko

Baba Sissoko is a master of the talking drums (tamani). He is also a jali (griot) by birth. He has collaborated and recorded with Youssou N’Dour, Salif Keita, Habib Koite, Rokia Traore, Ibrahim Ferrer, Buena Vista Social Club, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Don Moye and the Art Ensemble of Chicago, and Mamady Keita.

Sissoko formed a trio with musicians from other traditions: Roger Sabal Lecco played bass with Manu Dibango, Myriam Makeba, Fela Kuti, Francis Bebey, Lucio Dalla and Louisiana Red; and Reynaldo Hernandez played percussion with the Conjunto Folklórico Nacional of Cuba and with the Gipsy Kings.

The trio celebrates the meeting of 3 great musicians at the top of their art, inspired by their own cultures: Manding, Bambara, Sonrai, Yoruba and Congo. In addition, the trio also has blues, jazz and rock elements, acquired during their careers.

Baba Sissoko – lead vocal, tamani, ngoni, kamalengoni, bala, calabass
Roger Sabal Lecco – bass, vocals
Reynaldo Hernandez – Cuban percussion, vocals

In 2019, Sissoko released “Amadran.” He said about the album: “There is just one Sissoko family, wherever you are (Mali, Senegal, Gambia or Guinea), if your name is Sissoko, you are part of the same family, because we are all descendants of Fakoli! Fakoli was a prince and one of the founders of the Mandinka Empire. He was a man of his word, who was very involved in the social scene. As a legacy, he passed down to us all of his energy and force. As his descendants, we all received a piece of him. My family received culture, tradition and music!

My grandparents who were also my best buddies, Djeli Djatourou Sissoko, Djeli Makan Sissoko, Djeli Baba Sissoko, had all lived with the energy and force of Fakoli, humanly, culturally and musically speaking.

I had the chance to know all of my grandparents and I learned a lot with them at the beginning of my childhood. I grew up with my father Djeli Madou Sissoko, a great ngoni player; my mother Djeli Mah Damba Koroba, traditional singer; and with my uncle Mama Sissoko, a great ngoni and guitar player, who completed my training and showed me the way to my mission. My family left me a baggage full of songs and I can live anywhere in the world with my musical experience.

In our family we start to play music with the tama, and then we learn how to play the ngoni. The tama and ngoni are all instruments of the Sissoko family and belonged to us even before the birth of the Mandinka Empire.”

Discography:

Djana (Ports song, 1999)
Bamako Chicago Express (Live In Longiano) (Il Manifesto, 2002)
Al Majmaâ (Igloo, 2004)
Djeliya (Il Manifesto, 2004)
Djekafo (Il Manifesto, 2007)
Fanfare & Choeur (AZ Productions, 2007)
Culture Griot (Cypres, 2009)
Regard Sur Le Passe (Sidecar, 2011)
African Griot Groove (Goodfellas, 2012)
Tchiwara (Goodfellas, 2014)
Three Gees (Blind Faith Records, 2015)
Khalab & Baba (Wonderwheel Recordings, 2015)
Jazz (R)evolution (Caligola, 2015)
Ancestral Ritual (2017)
Mediterranean Blues (Caligola, 2017)
Griot Blues (One Root Music, 2017)
Amadran (homerecords.be, 2019)

Author: Angel Romero

Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
Share

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

4 × three =