Based in Saint-Louis in Senegal, Ablaye Cissoko is a Mandingo griot, one of the great virtuosos of the kora. This superb musician has performed for many years in Africa, Europe and the rest of the world. His mastery of the instrument is a prodigious demonstration of musicality and generosity, so much so that he has shared the stage with international heavyweights such as François Jeanneau, Majid Bekkas, Richard Galliano, Eduardo Egüez, Eric Bibb, Constantinople & Kiya Tabassian, Omar Pene, Cheikh Tidiane Seck, Simon Goubertou, and Randy Weston (at the St Louis Jazz Festival). With his limpid, modern play complimented by an enveloping voice and serene lyrics, Ablaye Cissoko is part of a new generation of Senegalese artists who represent the intersection of Mandingo tradition and contemporary musical creation. Ablaye Cissoko is accustomed to performing world music, Jazz and even classical or baroque, and is recognised as one of the finest kora players in the world. Since the release of his first album Diam in 2003, he has performed on every continent, in diverse musical genres. His 2009 album Sira is the result of an encounter with New York-based German trumpetist Volker Goetze. Both men combine modernity and tradition, Jazz and African music, in an album steeped in purity.