A griot

Lamine Cissokho is a « griot » born in Casamance, south of Senegal. A griot is, in Western Africa, a member of a hereditary caste whose function is to keep an oral history and to entertain with stories, songs and music.

Lamine is the descendant of a famous griot family whose traditions date back to the 14th century. He was introduced to the kora as a child by his own father, Sana Cissokho, one of the great name of this generation. Lalo Keba Drame, considered as the king of the kora, was Lamine’s grand-uncle and inspirer.

A composer and arranger

At the beginning of his career Lamine learned and performed almost traditional Mandingo melodies. These traditional pieces passed down from generation to generation.

He quickly developed a taste for composition and arrangement. He has so far composed and arranged about 200 own songs which are inspired the Mandingo tradition but are revisited by touches of jazz, oriental music and nordic folk chords. Lamine is constantly seeking to extend the musical possibilities of his kora and to integrate various influences into his creation.
His « out of the box » tune of the kora make him quite unique.

Between 2011 and 2020 he recorded 5 albums.

2011, Pakao https://open.spotify.com/album/5xWtVHye1PXKs1JJ01LPm6
2015, Sama Tilo https://open.spotify.com/track/3iTvxn1x3qeXzsYeO3z0Wo
2017, Kora+1 https://open.spotify.com/album/7p5u26mM2kqrPCFUmJNJvG
2019, New Continents https://open.spotify.com/album/0TcFFXLgZSrOBQ1kCc6uAD
2019, Sunujazz https://open.spotify.com/album/01MIQ24HtAupRnS0nbdAgm

The next album is planned to be recorded in November 2021 under the name »Silaba », a duo with the french jazz pianist Olivier Hutman (http://www.olivierhutman.com)

A touring musician

During the last years Lamine has toured in many countries and played on several festivals. Here come some of them:

Sweden: Urkult, Stockholm Jazz Festival,Oceanen, Fasching, Teater Lederman, Stallet, Planeta Festival, Nalen, Elverket, Stockholm Konserthus, Musikhuset Göteborg, Västmanlandsteater, Falun Folk Festival, Linköping Folkfestival, Tyrolen, Hyttdreva Festival, Umeå kulturnatt, Kista World Music, Stockholm Culture Night, Mossebacken, Kafé de Luxe, Kalmar Teatern, etc
France: Africajarc, Marciac Jazz Festival, Convivencia, Bibliothèque Historique de Paris, Le Jam, Portail Coucou, Internationales de la Guitare Montpellier, Wassa’n’Africa, etc.
Spain: Poborina Folk
Germany: Culture house Bremen
Austria: Jazzit, Kasumama Africa Fest
Norway: Global Nights Oslo
Latvia: Folkklub Riga, Café Leningrad
Denmark: Copenhagen Jazz Festival, International Guitar Festival Copenhagen, International Guitar Festival Aarhus, Huset, etc.
England: The Sage of Gate
Scotland: Ha Orchestra project, Edimburgh Harp Festival
Senegal: Alliance Francaise Saint Louis, Alliance franco-sénégalaise Ziguinchor, CCF Dakar, Just4you, Festival Rythmes et Formes du Monde, Africabok, Radisson, Bazoff, etc.

We can also note thant he was happy to play the opening acts of Amadou et Mariam, Youssou N’Dour ,Coumba Gaolo och Bassekou Kouyaté.

A musician without musical borders

Bringing together musical genres, inspirations and traditions, growing up thanks to meetings and collaborations, this is what Lamine loves above all.

Lamine performs as a soloist and have three duos with which he tours.

The first one with the indian raga master Manish Pingle (http://www.manishpingle.com), the second one with the famous french jazz pianist Olivier Hutman (http://www.olivierhutman.com) and the third one with Fanta Yayo, Guinean diva.

On the other hand and since 2019, Lamine has the great honor to collaborate with the big American blues- and jazzman Eric Bibb (http://www.ericbibb.com). Among other things, he played with him at Marciac Jazz Festival.

Another great collaboration was with the Malian kora master, Ballake Sissoko (http://www.ballakesissoko.com) during Aarhus International Guitar Festival (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WqWixi4JJdc)

A beloved musician

His music is like a melting pot of African, oriental and jazz music. Lamine’s kora is there all the time in a melodic and continuous flow of tones that are nicely woven together with the other instruments in perfect harmony. It is difficult to sit still to all the rhythms in the music, but despite that you can also get a meditative and calm feeling from it. / Pär Dahlerus http://www.uppsalanyheter.se/blogg/musikbloggen/item/7989-recension-lamine-cissokho-sunujazz

Lamine has an indomitable, contagious energy with which he charges his compositions and stage performances. He treats his kora with technical finesse but also with a great sensitivity and compliance in meetings with other musicians and singers.  » Thomas E., saxophonist.

He belongs to the elite among kora players was well documented at tonight’s concert where he took his audience into the Kora’s beautiful sound filled with virtuosic improvisations – world music- by a world class performer. Svend Withfelt http://www.allaboutjazz.com

Lamine can tell stories with only his kora as a tool. http://www.profetmusic.se

A awarded musician

2015 Lamine was honored with the senegalese award « Prix Lalo Keba Drame »
2016 He has been nominated as the artist of the year at the swedish « Folk & Världsmusikgalan »
2020 He has received the swedish culture award « Gyllene Fjädern » of the newspaper Barometern. The motivation was the following:
« With great humility, he lets the audience and fellow musicians experience that all music can meet. He has an ability to make his fellow musicians blossom and find abilities and joy of playing within them that they did not know they had »

SOME PAST GIGS

• Jazzit, AustriaInternationales de la guitare, Montpellier – FranceUrkult, SwedenConvivencia, Toulouse, FranceKorrö, SwedenMarciac Jazz Festival, FranceWinthertur, SwitzerlandBibliothèque historique de Paris, FranceNalen, Stockholm, SwedenStockholm Culture House, SwedenBrement Culture House, GermanyPoporina Festival, SpainEdinburgh International Harp Festival, ScotlandInternational Guitar Festival, CopenhagenAfricajarc, FranceTeater tre, Stockholm, SwedenFasching, Stockholm, SwedenAlias Teater, Stockholm, SwedenMaskinhallen, Fredrikhavn, DenmarkFolkklubs, Riga, LatviaWasa’n’Africa, FranceAgoo Festival, FinlandGlobal Nights, Oslo, NorwayCopenhagen Jazz FestivaleTc etc

NEWS

• May 2022. Lamine received Kalmar Culture Prize 2022Scalateatern with Eric Bibb. Stockholm, Sweden24th Sept. Tribute to Mamady Keita. Bozar, Brussel – BelgiumNovember 2022. New project and concerts with the Indian tabla player https://www.tablasuranjana.com/ and Jonas Knutsson. SwedenDecember 2022. Senegal tour in collaboration with the humanitarian organisation « Help my village »Spring 2023. UK tour with the Indian slide guitarist http://www.manishpingle.comMars 2023. Release of « Double Skyline » at Cercle Suédois, Paris. Double Skyline is http://www.olivierhutman.com‘s and Lamine Cissokho’s new common album. The release will be followed of a release tour in Europe23th April. On stage with http://www.ericbibb.com at Philarmonique de Paris, France