Baba Sissoko
Born in Bamako (Mali), Baba Sissoko is the undisputed master of tamani (the original talking drum), that he started to play since he was a child (thanks to the teaching of his grand-father Djeli Baba Sissoko) and from which he is able to extract all the notes simply with a one, natural movement.
Baba Sissoko plays also ngoni, kamalengoni, guitar, balaphon, calebasse, sildrum and… he sings! He is from a great and ancient dynasty of griots from Mali: in the Malian tradition, griots are deputed to calm down hearts and souls, by means of music.
Baba Sissoko has been the first one to introduce the sound of tamani in the modern music of Mali. In the Baba compositions there is a great influence of Amadran, that is a repetitive and hypnotic musical structure typical from Mali by which, according to many researchers, blues was born. His style is peculiar: Baba loves to integrate melodies and rhythms of the Malian tradition (Bambara, Peul, Mandig e Sonrai) with the typical sounds of jazz and blues, creating fantastic musical effects.
This also thanks to the numerous experiences with other musicians belonging to cultures and roots completely different from his background. His ability to play a wide range of musical instruments and his extreme sensitivity to other musical genders and expressions, brought him to cooperate with many fine musicians.
