Town Hall Seattle and SAMA: Music+Art present Global Rhythms:

Ballaké Sissoko and Derek Gripper - A New String Theory

Ballaké Sissoko is a Malian player of the kora. Ten fingers for twenty-one strings, and magic takes place, surely, calmly. He enlaces us in his suave and crystalline sonority and his kora, magnified by his talent as a melodist and an improviser.

As of 2024, since 2022 Sissoko has been collaborating in duo concerts with South African guitarist Derek Gripper, who has transcribed kora music to play on his own classical guitar, with an album to be released circa April 2024.

Derek Gripper is one of South Africa’s leading guitarists whose love of the kora set him transcribing and recording some of its greatest works, changing the face of classical guitar.

As Sissoko and Gripper combine forces they take audiences across peaks and valleys of existence creating a new string theory that is singularly their own.

Source: https://www.wikipedia.com/, https://www.ballakesissoko.com/, https://www.derekgripper.com/

Global Rhythms is produced in association with SAMA: Music+Art and is supported by our media sponsor, KEXP.