Black History Month Concert featuring Les Frères Cissoko Bannaya Family on Saturday February 2 at Alliance Francaise Toronto
Batuki Music Society and Alliance Francaise Toronto present Les Frères Cissoko Bannaya Family, featuring Noumoucounda, Sadio and Fa, multi-instrumentalists, masters of kora and percussion, they are the descendants of one of the important Griot families of West Africa.
Cultural knowledge passed on through the generations, relates the story of the first kora of the Mandingo Empire, being created by the ancestor of the Cissoko brothers. Their father, Banna Cissoko is a virtuoso kora player and member of the National Orchestra of Senegal, and mother, Fatoumata Goundo Kouyaté, is a singer immersed with the Kouyate’s own balafon tradition
Noumoucounda Cissoko’s music weaves together his Griot heritage with mbalax, blues, jazz, hip-hop and rock inspired improvisations. His virtuosity and innovative approach to playing the kora earned him the titles, “Jimmy Hendrix of the kora” and “Hip Hop Griot’. Noumoucounda, was a member of the Positive Black Soul band and worked with Youssou N’Dour, Baaba Maal, MC Solaar and Stromae, before focusing on a solo career from which he released several albums.
Sadio Sissokho’s nstrument of choice, the kora, was also the specialty of his father and many of his brothers. A multi-instrumentalist, he is equally comfortable on the djembe, sabars, tama and doun-douns. Fa Kaly Cissoko is a master of West African percussion including the djembe and sabars.
La légende raconte que la toute première kora de l’Empire mandingue a été créée par l’ancêtre des frères Cissoko. Ces descendants, d’une des grandes familles de griots ouest africaines rendent donc hommage à la tradition dont ils sont issus en lui insufflant une bonne dose de créativité. Multi-instrumentistes maîtres de la kora et des percussions, ils jouent avec leurs instruments et leurs voix avec une dextérité et un panache désarmants.
Saturday February 2, 2019
Doors: 8 PM / Concert 9 PM
(416) 922 – 2014 x 37
https://www.bemusednetwork.
Batuki Music Society gratefully acknowledges the support of the Alliance Francaise Toronto, Ontario Arts Council and Canadian Heritage.
360A Bloor St. W.
“nurturing and strengthening cultural diversity through music and the arts.”
