Woo La Ba

Here’s a pleasantly classy duo in which kora player Ibou Cissokho is teamed up with the Norwegian acoustic guitarist Ole André Farstad in a duo who call themselves Tilibo. Apparently, it means ‘When the Sun Rises’, but there’s more of a late-night feel to many of the best tracks on this mostly instrumental set. They are both excellent musicians and the way they interact and take it in turn to play lead inevitably invites comparisons with our own glorious harp and kora duo, Catrin Finch & Seckou Keita. Tilibo are not in the same league, either in terms of technique or emotional intensity. Even so, there’s some impressive playing, with bursts of jazz-blues guitar on ‘Vito’ or the more gutsy title-track, and fine kora work on ‘Frygarfall’. Elsewhere, ‘Sahara’ sounds like the atmospheric soundtrack to a desert western, while on ‘Kana Kumbo’, they add vocals and an unexpected percussion workout.