Ba Cissoko

Ba Cissoko is a Guinean world music group based around kora music and formed by Ba Cissoko with Kourou Kouyaté and Sékou Kouyaté, later joined by Ibrahim Bah on percussion. The group comes from Guinea and works within kora and world music, drawing on Guinean musical traditions while also using modern influences.

Background and formation

Ba Cissoko starts from the kora tradition associated with Guinea, but the music also incorporates reggae, blues and rock. Its songs are sung in Malinké, Susu and Peul, languages used in Guinea. The group takes its name from Ba Cissoko, who learns the kora from a young age after initially showing little interest in the instrument. He later studies in Casamance in Senegal, continues his apprenticeship with Guinea’s National Children’s Theatre and the National Instrumental Ensemble, and then looks for a way to perform his own compositions.

Before forming the group, Ba Cissoko creates Tamalalou in 1992 with Gilles Poizat, a French soldier completing military service in west Africa. After Tamalalou ends in 1999, he joins with Kourou and Sékou Kouyaté, sons of his teacher M’Baty Kouyaté, and the new group begins performing as Ba Cissoko. Ibrahim Bah later joins after playing djembe on the beaches of Conakry.

Members and instrumentation

The group’s line-up includes Ibrahim Bah, Ba Cissoko, Kourou Kouyaté and Sékou Kouyaté. Sékou Kouyaté plays electric kora, tamani, balafon and djembe. Kourou Kouyaté plays bolon, electric bass and kora. Ibrahim Bah is the percussionist. The music remains centred on the kora, a traditional West African harp-lute that the group uses as the basis for a contemporary sound.

Recordings and recognition

Ba Cissoko releases its first album, Sabolan, on Marabi. The group performs at WOMEX in 2004, reaches the finals of the RFI World Music Awards in the same year, and is nominated in the Newcomer category of the BBC Radio 3 Awards for World Music in 2005.

Style and reception

The group’s music combines respect for Guinean kora tradition with a modern approach that appeals across generations. Its sound is described through references to older traditional forms alongside newer influences, and it becomes known for linking local heritage with contemporary styles.