2-fold digipack CD. Born in Mali in 1963, Baba Sissoko is a percussionist and vocalist who began playing the talking drums (tamani) during his childhood, as a member of the griot caste of Mali. The griots are the ancient caste of Malian storytellers and oral historians whose job it is guard and preserve the collective memory of their people using the oral tradition. African Griot Groove is the quintessence of this cultural background, and a virtuoso and passionate excursion into the roots of a musical language that is centuries old. However, while Sissoko (who now lives in Italy) pays homage to his roots, he is also interested in musical exploration and this is definitely the task at hand for Sissoko and the four musicians who join him on this album. Here Sissoko-while singing and playing traditional instruments like the tamani and ngoni-is joined by Erick Yanou on electric bass, Philippe Lago on a traditional drumkit, Abu Djigo on electric guitar and Reynaldo Hernandez on congas and batar for a fusion of traditional and modern sounds.