Gambian multi-instrumentalist Suntou Susso works at the intersection of an inherited musical tradition and an increasingly international career. A kora player, percussionist, singer, composer, and filmmaker, Susso was born into a jali (griot) family whose cultural role reaches back centuries. Within Mandinka society, jalis have served as musicians, poets, oral historians, and custodians of collective memory, with knowledge transmitted across generations through music and storytelling.
At the center of Susso’s career is the kora, the 22-string West African harp-lute associated with Mandinka musical traditions. His body of work extends beyond traditional forms into jazz, funk, soul, folk, and other strands of world music.
Susso also belongs to a prominent West African musical family. His relatives include kora players Seckou Keita, Solo Cissokho, Mamudou Susso, Sura Susso, and singer Binta Suso.
Professionally, Susso has toured the UK with his half-brother Seckou Keita in 2012 and subsequently worked with bassist Davide Mantovani on a project connecting kora with modern jazz. Two years later, he appeared at Ronnie Scott’s with jazz singer Sarah Jane Morris and guitarist Tony Remy, and performed alongside South African soprano Pumeza Matshikiza and Sura Susso on ITV’s This Morning.
Further collaborations followed. In 2016, Susso joined Ghazalaw, an Indian-Welsh project that received airplay across BBC Radio 2, Radio 3, and 6 Music. As a member of the Norway-based Kristin Asbjørnsen Trio, he co-composed and recorded an album and appeared at jazz festivals throughout Europe. In 2018, he performed alongside Senegalese singer Youssou N’Dour at London’s O2.
Susso released his debut album, Kanéfonyo (Never Give Up), in 2022. The record earned a four-star review from Songlines and preceded a 20-date UK tour with his six-piece band in 2023. That year, he also supported Malian guitarist Vieux Farka Touré on his UK tour and recorded with British group This Is the Kit for an album produced by Gruff Rhys.
His profile expanded considerably in 2024. Susso appeared at 29 festivals, including Glastonbury, WOMAD, and Green Man, while his solo tour reportedly sold out 80 percent of its dates. He toured with Seckou Keita and the Homelands Band, and later joined This Is the Kit on Glastonbury’s Park Stage.
That same year brought several studio and broadcast projects. Susso recorded for Boris Grebenshchikov with producer Chris Kimsey, whose credits include the Rolling Stones, and appeared on a BBC Radio 4 Last Word program devoted to the late Malian kora master Toumani Diabaté.
In 2025, Susso and his father, Mamudou Susso, undertook a 15-date UK tour that included London’s Jazz Cafe, Brighton’s Brunswick, and Bradshaw Hall at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire.
His second album, Jaliya Silakong – The Path of a Griot, arrived independently on November 7, 2025. Recorded in Senegal and the UK, the project assembled 24 musicians from 10 countries. These included Binta Suso, Vieux Farka Touré, and Ghanaian artist K.O.G.
Its first single, “Yirolu Bala (Within the Trees),” addressed environmental stewardship through a Mandinka perspective. Inspired by the proverb “The Earth’s well being is within the trees,” the song connects ancestral knowledge with contemporary concerns over climate change, deforestation, and desertification. Its message also corresponds with the work of Green-Up Gambia, an independent organization focused on environmental education and tree planting among younger Gambians.
Susso’s performances now range from solo kora concerts to appearances with his six-piece band and cross-cultural collaborations. His work as a self-directed documentary filmmaker adds another medium to a career already centered on the transmission of stories, history, and cultural knowledge.
In 2026, Susso won the International Music Competition in the world music category.
(headline image: Suntou Susso – Photo by African Product)
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.