Ten fingers for twenty-one strings, and magic takes place, surely, calmly. Ballaké Sissoko enlaces us in his suave and crystalline sonority and his kora, magnified by his talent as a melodist and an improviser. Standard-bearer of ancestral traditions, descended from the great Manding masters, Ballaké has established his reputation as one of the best players of the new generation by developing a very personal style. Deli also provides the pleasure of hearing some very subtle accompanists, who turn out to be accomplished soloists, as proved by Fassery Diabaté's flights on the Balafon and Mama Draba's songs.

Ballaké Sissoko is the son of Djelimady Sissoko, a great master of the Manding Kora, a twenty-one-stringed harp whose crystalline sound has conquered the international public. Ballaké is one of the best Kora players of the new generation.
He started learning the instrument at a very young age with his father. Having played with the prestigious Ensemble Instrumental du Mali (Instrumental Ensemble of Mali) and accompanied many female Malian singers, he earned his reputation by performing solo, in a duo with Toumani Diabate, with Taj Mahal, and with a number of other musicians.
Open to all adventures and encounters Ballaké is an over-talented instrumentalist who, drawing on tradition for inspiration, has forged his own personal style. An inspired improviser and a subtle melodist, he is a marvellous accompanist and an excellent composer. His group, Mandé Tabolo, composed of Mama Draba (vocals), Fassery Diabaté (Balafon) Adama Tounkara (N'Goni), Aboubacar Dembelé (Bolon) was created for Special Mali, organised by la Comédie de Valence in January 2000. He then performed in Mali and at the Musiques Métisses festival in Angoulême. His latest album was produced at the Gil Evans studio in Amiens in June 2000. This production took place in a relaxed atmosphere, a bit like a jam session or a Cuban descarga. The album is the reflection of that.
Emotion, elegance, freshness and inventiveness make up some of the world's best music.

"The circling, modal patterns that are central to Malian music remind many American listeners of rural blues, and American musicians like Ry Cooder and Taj Mahal have made explicit connections by collaborating with musicians from Mali. But in any combination, Malian music stubbornly holds its own: the voices are sage and unswerving, and the open-ended patterns conjure ceaseless natural cycles. Ballaké Sissoko plays the kora, the 21-stringed harp-guitar traditionally used to accompany Mali's Mandingo jali, or griots. "Déli" (Indigo) is a mostly instrumental album that's a showcase for his kora playing. His terse melodic lines and darting, cascading phrases balance on the steady plinking of a balafon (marimba) in delicate, transparent music. Djelimady Tounkara is the guitarist and leader of the Rail Band, an institution of Malian rock. His guitar parts draw on rippling kora phrases, on jazz and rock and on a personal sense of timing that runs guitar lines through a song like patches of white water in a river. He plays acoustic guitar on his album "Sigui" (Indigo), sometimes entwining it with a n'goni (harp), and the unplugged arrangements let his usually inconspicuous virtuosity shine through."
New York Times, July 5th 2002

"After years of ageing Cubans, how about making some room in your hearts for young Malians. Hot on the trail of Rokia Traore's arrival in the big league, this is the first outing by the kora maestro since his astonishing turns on New Ancient Strings and Kulanjan in 1999. This album however blows the competition out of the water." Mojo XXXCCC "Sissoko is the latest talent to emerge from the musically fertile west African state of Mali...the tumbling strings of Sissoko's kora are wondrous."
The Observer

"Ballake Sissoko is one of the finest instrumentalists of Mali's young generation...This is a wonderful album and an essential addition to any collection of Malian music."
Songlines