Sidsel Walstad and Ibou Cissokho – Tamoo (Global Sonics, 2025)
Norwegian harp player Sidsel Walstad and Senegalese kora player and vocalist Ibou Cissokho forge a cross-cultural dialogue on Tamoo, a lovely collaborative suite that bridges Nordic and West African musical traditions. Commissioned by Global Oslo Music, the project grew out of the pair’s first meeting on the podcast Artists Meet Artists in 2022. That encounter sparked both creative chemistry and a mutual desire to explore each other’s musical worlds.
The result is Tamoo, (journey in Wolof), an exquisite work first premiered as Strengelek for harpe og kora in 2023, composed by Cissokho specifically for the duo. Rather than juxtaposing their distinct styles, the musicians find points of convergence. Walstad, a virtuosa known for integrating western classical training with pop and rock on both acoustic and electric harps, provides a musical counterpoint to Cissokho’s elaborate kora lines and vocal tradition grounded in jali (musician storytellers) tradition.
Cissokho, son of renowned kora master Solo Cissokho, brings a repertoire firmly established in West African heptatonic and pentatonic modes, enriched with polyrhythmic structures and occasional blues or pop influences. On Tamoo, melody and rhythm unfold through interwoven phrases, as harp and kora trade ornamentation and groove with subtle, collaborative ease.
The music was arranged and produced by Sindre Hotvedt. Jock Loveband handled recording, mixing, and mastering at Urban Sound Studios in Oslo, 2024.
Buy Tamoo.
Author: Madison Quinn
