Baba Sissoko - Live in Basel (Mediterranean Blues) (Live) (2024)

Baba Sissoko is a musician from Mali. He plays the tamani, ngoni, kamalengoni, balafon, and calabash, and he is also a vocalist. He was born on March 8, 1963, in Bamako, Mali.

Baba Sissoko is a master of the tamani (talking drum) and a jeli (griot) by birth. From a young age, he played the tamani, often performing at weddings and other traditional ceremonies with female griots.

In 1985, he began touring internationally with the Instrumental Ensemble of Mali, playing the tamani and ngoni. In 1991, Baba founded his trio, Baba Sissoko & Taman Kan. He has collaborated with renowned musicians from Mali and around the world. His work with Habib Koité, which lasted 12 years, is particularly notable. In 1995, he released his first album with Tama-Kan.

The members of Taman Kan are bassist Roger Sabal Lecco (who has played with Manu Dibango, Miriam Makeba, Fela Kuti, and others) and percussionist Reynaldo Hernandez (who has performed with the Conjunto Folklórico Nacional of Cuba and the Gipsy Kings). The group blends different cultures—Mandinka, Bambara, Songhai, Yoruba, and Kongo—and incorporates elements of blues, jazz, and rock.

Baba Sissoko has recorded and released more than five albums. He has taught traditional drumming in Brussels and delivered lectures at the Art, Music, and Performance Center at the University of Calabria in Italy.



Tracklist:
1 Hey Baby Blues (Live)
2 Bakadaji (Live)
3 Amadran Blues (Live)
4 Ebi (Live)
5 Masaya (Live)
6 Mediterranean Blues (Live)
7 Djarabi Blues (Live)
8 Bibisa (Live)