Lopa with Diabel Cissokho

[Jamie Renton]

Last Friday's Wo3 was a oparticularly good one. It featured a session by Senegalese man of the moment Diabel Cissokho, who I'm currently attempting to write a feature on for fRoots, in spite of distractions such as watching Early Doors online.

[Chris P]

Diabel's great: really good singer unusually amongst kora players, lovely kora player, and comes over as a very nice bloke. Is he an offspring or nephew of Sunjul/Soundioulou Cissokho somewhere along the line? Diabel's brother was Baaba Maal's kora player of choice Kaouding Cissokho, I think, but is there any connection without getting too complicated, to the well-known Cissokhos in Kafountine Senegal: Solo Cissokho, Seckou Keita, Sadio Cissokho, & Jali Fily?
Unless your press release is the 5" thick bound edition, there's something to draw you away early from Early Doors!

[Jamie Renton]

Couldn't agree with you more in all that you say about Diabel, Chris

With regard to your questions: if you go back far enough, griots are all related (six degrees of Toumani Diabate, or something), but he isn't closely related to anyone you mention.

If you want to find out more about his background, you'll have to read the feature in the June issue of fRoots

Hmmm, think I've just got time for an episode of Early Doors...onward to Youtube

[Chris P]

Thanks for reminding me to listen to his Wo3 session Jamie - enjoying now. He is the younger brother of Kaouding (Kawding) Cissokho according to what was said at the time of his 'Mansana Blues' album, so maybe his dad is also Bana Cissokho one of the greats from the older generation (along with Soundioulou Cissokho & Lalo Keba Drame). Then again maybe it's a shared mum, or maybe the term brother has become stretched (distant cousins) as it often does in West Africa. Cheers Jamie - hope your interview & research brings out who his main teachers/inspirers were as a youngster