TWO years in the making, Ballake Sissoko’s
Djourou ( No Format) draws together solo compositions alongside collaborations with a number of artists including Salif Keita, leading female kora player Sona Jobarteh, cellist Vincent Segal, French rapper Oxmo Puccino, singer-songwriter Piers Faccini and Arthur Teboul, the singer from Paris rock band Feu! Chatterton.
Djourou is the Bambara word meaning string and the kora has 21 of them. The string here refers to the connection with the artists who appear on the album.
It’s a wonderful blend of kora pieces with guest artists, notably Vincent Segal and Patrick Messina on clarinet teaming up with Sissoko for an epic journey on Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique.