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Ramon Goose teams up with Senegalese kora player Diabel Cissokho to present a new project which combines the beauty of West African music with the soul of the Blues.

Senegalese musician Diabel Cissokho is part of a griot family of musicians with a rich musical heritage. Growing up in Dakar he started off performing on a number of different traditional instruments in his family’s band. However, his particular talent and affinity for the kora, which he started playing at the age of 9, was obvious from the beginning. Having chosen London as his European base he was, for close to three years, the kora player for the internationally renowned Baba Maal and has supported and played with numerous other artists in concert venues and festivals across the world. These include Nuru Kane, Daby Balde, Abdou Diop, Kandia Kouyate and Mama Draba. He also participated in a special concert at the Barbican in London, performing alongside Femi Kuti and his band as well as Cheikh Lo and Manu Dibango. Diabel’s virtuosic talent, as well as the expressiveness and sensitivity of his playing has brought him much respect amongst his fellow musicians, who cross many genres of music from traditional African, to jazz and Afro-beat. Currently he is working on his own material in which he fuses his love of traditional and world music, taking inspiration from his heritage and from his faith in Cheikh Ahmadou Bamba Bamke (Mouride).

Check out Diabel's myspace website

Whether performing as part of an acoustic blues/gospel trio or as an electric blues band, Ramon Goose strives to bring both sophistication and soul to his music. Ramon Goose was born in England and started out with British band Nublues as guitarist, chief song writer and producer. The band toured worldwide in support of their albums “Dreams Of A Blues Man” and “Snow On The Tracks” (released on Dixiefrog Records in Europe, 21st Century Blues Records in New Orleans, USA and published by Metisse Music). Ramon has toured all over Europe with the likes of Eric Burdon, The Blind Boys of Alabama and has performed with James Brown’s bandleader Pee Wee Ellis. After a short stint with American bluesman Eric Bibb’s band, Ramon went on to produce, perform on and co-write critically acclaimed albums for Boo Boo Davis (Mississippi Blues artist) and Billy Jones (based in Arkansas) both on the Black and Tan Records label. Recent projects have included performing alongside Hilaire Chaby-Hary (Baaba Mal) & other West African Musicans.

Check out Ramon Goose's website

Ramon Goose
April 2010