"In an unmissable encounter of two souls, Senegalese griot Ablaye Cissoko’s kora weaves ancient echoes through French accordion virtuoso Cyrille Brotto’s haunting drones. Their delicate interplay crafts a storytelling journey through grief, crafting ancient narratives into contemporary soundscapes."
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A
gig
held at The Jam Jar
on Wednesday 19th November. The event starts at 19:30.
The Jam Jar & Music At The World Junction present:
Ablaye Cissoko & Cyrille Brotto
+ Support
Wednesday 19th November
Doors Open 7.30pm
The Jam Jar, Bristol
“Masterful collaborations of kora and accordion ... a gem from start to finish” - Songlines UK **** top of the world
As their album’s evocative title, Djiyo (‘water’) suggests, the meeting of kora player & vocalist Ablaye Cissoko & accordionist Cyrille Brotto weaves together a tapestry of grace & flowing movement. A dancing waltz brings to mind the lapping of musical waves in its arpeggiated and intricate interplay: a conversation of friendship, close listening & musical wandering. The duo give us ancient histories of the Manding & Occitan traditions with gentle melancholy & poetic poise.
Ablaye Cissoko is a Senegalese griot, a moving storyteller & one of his generation’s finest kora players, a virtuoso in the company of other acclaimed kora masters Toumani Diabaté & Ballaké Sissoko. Cissoko continues an ancestral line going back centuries to the time of the Mandinka Kingdom: a line of musicians, teachers and oral historians known as griots - West African storytellers and praise singers who preserve and address the personal, historical & societal concerns of their people. The kora is a 21 string instrument with an 800 year history that is somewhere between a lute & harp. With this Cissoko has always maintained an expansive, internationalist & open musical approach. There have been celebrated & rich collaborations with German trumpeter Volker Goetze, Moroccan guembri & oud player Majid Bekkas & now French diatonic accordionist Cyrille Brotto.
Accordionist and multi-instrumentalist, Cyrille Brotto has had a distinguished performance & educational presence for over twenty years and takes his music on the road, not just to concert halls but to places where people love to dance. A significant musician and teacher on the traditional & folk music scene, Brotto is deeply knowledgeable of the rich European folk idioms and this is very evident in his sensitivity in new interpretations of old musical traditions. Following hundreds of international concerts, in a variety of solo projects and collaborations with other musicians, this is a very special Bristol debut.
Entry requirements: 14+, any under 18s accompanied by 21+ adult 1:1 ratio