Ablaye Cissoko

Ablaye Cissoko is a Senegalese kora player, singer and composer from a family of griots. Born in 1970 in Kolda, he is based in Saint-Louis, where he moved in 1985 to join the Saint-Louis Jazz Orchestra, a mixed group of African and European musicians. His official biography counts his father and grandfather among the griots of his family, and he first appeared on stage with the kora at the age of twelve.

Where tradition meets other languages

Cissoko’s writing starts from Mandinka tradition and opens it to other repertoires: jazz, classical and baroque colours, and Arabic, Oriental and Persian court music. His discography reflects this range: Diam (2003) and Le Griot Rouge (2005), then records with trumpeter Volker Goetze, the jazz quartet African Jazz Roots, and Ensemble Constantinople, directed by Kiya Tabassian. He has also made a duo record, Instant (2022), with accordionist Cyrille Brotto. His stated aim, according to his site, is to “ease men’s souls”.

For sync and licensing

Read as music for picture, the kora is a ready-made texture: a plucked, resonant, open sound that can carry a scene without filling it. The duo and ensemble formats leave a lot of space, which would suit contemplative or intimate sequences: landscapes, journeys, documentary, scenes of memory or distance. The jazz and chamber-music settings widen the palette towards more urbane, elegant moods. This is a reading of the music, not a statement about existing placements.

Roots and themes

The themes Cissoko returns to include West African legend (the “red griot” Kimintang, who gives Le Griot Rouge its name), the epics of the Mandingo Kingdom, urban life and African landscapes. The film Griot (2011), directed by Volker Goetze, follows his work to preserve the kora tradition.