Music from the hearts of masters

1. Ocean Wave

2. Ancient Techno

3. Rose Garden

4. Worldwide Funk

5. Kaira

6. Mountain Love Dance

7. Party

8. Voice of the Kudrus

9. Sunjatta Keita

When Foday Musa Suso teamed with drummer Hamid Drake in the ‘80s to form the Mandingo Griot Society, the usage of kora and the American drum kit was a novelty, and successfully but precariously placed the traditions of African village music and jazz oriented polyrhythms in a new place. Suso and the veteran drummer Jack DeJohnette team up in duets that do not juxtapose, but complement the rhythmic strengths of the different instruments, creating a language of their own. Suso is happy to play the vibrant shimmering melodies his 21-string instrument uniquely brings to the table, while DeJohnette adopts a sensitive, supportive rather than similarly melodic role, forming funky beats, cymbal accents, and colorations that shade rather than drive the music.

Jack DeJohnette: Composer, Drums, Producer

Foday Musa Suso: Kora