Four years ago, I wrote a glowing review of Chamber Music, the first collaboration from Ballaké Sissoko and Vincent Ségal, so I jumped at the chance to review Musique de Nuit. As noted in the press release for Musique de Nuit, Sissoko and Segal have continued to perform together since they recorded Chamber Music, so they were well prepared to record again.

Ballaké Sissoko, a native Malian, was born into a musical family; his father was a renowned griot, a traditional West African storyteller. His instrument is the kora, a 21-string harp built from a very large calabash (bottle-gourd) cut in half and covered with cowskin. He first achieved recognition for his musical skills while performing with Toumani Diabaté, another Malian kora player, when he was still in his teens. He has done session work with Taj Mahal. French cellist Vincent Ségal is classically trained, having studied at the National Music Academy of Lyon as well as at the Banff Centre for the Arts in Alberta, Canada. He performs as part of the electronica duo Bumcello and has done session work with Sting.

Before I listened to Musique de Nuit for the first time, I refreshed my memory by watching a 17-minute NPR “Tiny Desk” concert recorded in 2011 and featuring a number of compositions from Chamber Music. The close-ups of Sissoko playing the kora really helped me to make sense of the different sounds he makes with it. Ségal, I observed, is just as likely to pluck his cello as to bow it. It was easy to see in this performance the rapport between these men that I hear on the recordings. They are also very clearly grounded in their cultures and deeply connected to their instruments and to the music itself.

In the years since the release of Chamber Music, terrorist attacks have increased in number and severity in both France and Mali, a former French colony. The press release for Musique de Nuit hints that this new release reflects some of that tension and discord. Honestly, I didn’t hear that; however, I would say that Musique de Nuit is definitely night music. As the title suggests, Musique de Nuit was recorded at night; in fact, it was recorded live on a rooftop in Bamako, the capital of Mali. If you listen to the music through headphones or very good speakers, you may be able pick up on some of the ambient city noises that arose as the musicians played. What I find most intensely enjoyable about this music is that I can feel the low pitch and the gentle rhythms in my bones as much as I can hear it with my ears.

Musique de Nuit has nine tracks and runs just 43 minutes long—this brevity is the only disappointing aspect of the album. The individual tracks vary in length from just over a minute (“Prélude”) to nearly eight minutes (“N’kapalema”). As I listened, I thought I heard other instruments, some hand percussion and a flute, but the press release confirms that the kora and cello are the only two instruments played. Having watched the video, I understand. Both musicians touch their instruments in a number of ways, plucking, bowing, tapping, strumming, to evoke a variety of sounds. The rich, husky voice of Malian singer Babani Koné is featured on one track, “Diabaro.” I noted a simple recurring melody on “Balazando” that I found myself humming later in the afternoon, and loved the sinuous cello work that slid effortlessly into kora plucking on “N’kapalema.” “Samba Tomora” definitely feels like a little dance piece; I’ll have to put it on sometime when I feel like dancing.

While I was doing the background research for this review, I chanced upon another 2011 NPR recording of the duo. It includes both music and some interview material. On the same site is a brief article about the experience, written by the interviewer, Jon Kertzer. Jon and I both worked at WBRU-FM, Providence, RI, during the 1970s and are friends on Facebook, so I sent him a message to let him know I was reviewing Musique de Nuit. He responded, “Ballaké will be playing here in 2 weeks with singer Kasse Mady Diabate from Mali — so will see him again soon!”

Their label, Six Degrees Records, was founded by two former Windham Hill employees for the express purpose of promoting new trends in world music. With Musique de Nuit, they have another winner in their catalog! Musique de Nuit is readily available in both digital and CD formats.

(Six Degrees Records, 2015)