Lamine Cissokho is a Senegalese kora player and backing vocalist from Casamance. He comes from a griot family whose musical lineage dates to the 14th century. His father, Sana Cissokho, introduced him to the kora in childhood; his great-uncle, kora master Lalo Keba Drame, later became another key influence.
Cissokho first performed traditional Manding repertoire. He later developed original compositions that connect Manding tradition with jazz, Middle Eastern music, and Nordic folk. Between 2011 and 2023, he recorded six albums and composed or arranged more than 200 songs.
He has also performed with Amadou & Mariam, Youssou N’Dour, and Eric Bibb. Through his work, Cissokho has established a clear artistic voice and expanded the role of the kora in contemporary music.
Discography:
Pakao (Discover, 2011)
Sama Tilo (Sewa Music, 2015)
Kora+1 (Sing A Song Fighter, 2017)
New Continents, with Manish Pingle (Sing A Song Fighter, 2019)
Sunujazz (2019)
Double Skyline, with Olivier Hutman (Frémeaux & Assoc., 2023)
Mandé Sila Live @ Levon Helm Studios, with Habib Koité, Aly Keïta, Mama Koné (Contre-Jour, 2025)
The Following, with Olivier Hutman (Frémeaux & Assoc., 2026)
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.