Rhino Jazz Festival, Saint-Chamond, France. Hailing from a long tradition of Malian kora players, Ballake Sissoko has worked with renowned musicians such as Toumani DiabatĂŠ and Taj Mahal. He met the French born Vincent SĂŠgal by chance, and the two began jamming together, uncertain of what kind of music might result. As a former member of the French National Orchestra, SĂŠgal's Western classical training does not prevent him from exploring a wide variety of extended techniques, rendering his cello a flexible partner to Sissoko's kora. A childhood spent in the Pigalle district of Paris surrounded by immigrant communities exposed SĂŠgal to African music from an early age. As such, he possesses a natural sensitivity to Sissoko's West-African style. The concert shows a brilliant interplay between the two musicians and combines the several worlds of jazz, Malian and classical music.