Olivier Hutman & Lamine Cissokho

Pianist Olivier Hutman and kora player Lamine Cissokho wanted to combine their musical experiences in a rich and boundless exchange. This meeting between Mandingue kora and jazz offers a blend of classic elements unique to each of these musical styles, along with modern and open compositions and improvisations that both renew tradition and transcend it.

The approach of these two musicians, with their well-established careers, is intentionally open-minded, driven purely by the pleasure of playing and the desire to explore uncharted territories.

A worthy heir to pianists like Bill Evans, Herbie Hancock, and McCoy Tyner, Olivier Hutman delivers a clear, dynamic, and nuanced performance. In addition to being a performer, he is also a composer and arranger who has worked on dozens of albums, both in studios and for cinema. A specialist in African music, he also holds a doctorate in musicology focusing on urban music in Ghana. It was, therefore, natural for him to connect with the kora, and particularly with Lamine Cissokho, for their project Double Skyline.

Born in 1971 into a family of griots from Casamance, Senegal, Lamine Cissokho is a singer, songwriter, and kora player who navigates between various musical styles rooted in Mandingue music. Since his childhood and his apprenticeship with the kora, Lamine Cissokho has blended different musical genres, collaborating with the best musicians, such as Eric Bibb, Manish Pingle, and now Olivier Hutman.