Bimo

This is the fifth album from the Senegalese griot and kora player who has been UK based for the last 20 years. Originating from Ziguinchor in the Casamance region, he first came to Europe in order to participate in the Jalikunda Cissokho recording project with other members of his extended family. In addition to his stripped down traditional solo performances, Cissokho also fronts the Coute Diomboulo Band, a group that he has been operating since the age of 13. Three of the musicians from that band accompany him on this recording, which has been two years in the making having been locked down by COVID-19 for over a year on a trip home to Senegal.

Bimo is a generously long album of pure traditional Mande music. The 21-string kora is played in a particularly rhythmic fashion on a recording that is mostly backed by calabash and djembé, with the addition of occasional guitar and drum kit. With a strikingly melancholic voice Cissokho sings predominantly praise songs in the griot tradition, including a lively tribute to Liverpool and Senegal footballer Sadio Mané, which gives an indication of the more upbeat style that can be experienced from this versatile West African performer.