Review by Hubl Greiner
(Photos courtesy of Hubl Greiner and Volker Goetze)
Ali Boulo Santo Cissoko & Volker Goetze – A Dialogue
There are encounters on stage that are more than just musical collaborations. Undoubtedly, this was the case for the concert by Ali Boulo Santo Cissoko (Kora) and Volker Goetze (trumpet) last Wednesday at K9 in Konstanz (Germany). The duo demonstrated just how deeply music can resonate when it is grounded in mutual understanding.
The audience experienced a genuine musical conversation, where no moment felt forced and no sound artificial. It was one of those rare concerts in which one could truly sense an equal dialogue between two distinct musical worldviews.
Cissoko opened spaces with his playing, and the trumpet filled them with radiance – probing, attentive, respectful. Both performed without a safety net. Every note emerged from a moment of complete openness, as if Kora and trumpet had always belonged together.
New York–based Volker Goetze is not a jazz musician who merely adds African timbres superficially. He immerses himself, listens closely, and responds with remarkable sensitivity – sometimes questioning, sometimes breathing, sometimes boldly assertive.
Cissoko, a contemporary Senegalese griot, carries the memory of West Africa in his voice and playing. He transforms tradition into movement, blending blues, jazz, and African rhythms into a vibrant tapestry of light and sand – narrating, comforting, always in dialogue with something unseen.
What emerged on stage was neither jazz nor traditional African music, but a fragile, living language of respect – a music that dissolves boundaries: between continents, tradition, spirituality, and playfulness.
Cissoko and Goetze demonstrated that music is at its strongest when built on trust. No vanity, no desire for effect – only deep respect for one another and for the sound itself. I left with the feeling of having witnessed a rare moment in which understanding without words was possible – carried by attentiveness and quiet grandeur.
This extraordinary concert was made possible thanks to Sohrab Saadat Ladjevardi from New York. The musician, activist, and founder of New York’s Musicians for Musicians (MFM) organisation had asked me to help bring this concert to Konstanz. Goetze is a proud member of this musicians’ rights organisation.
For years, Sohrab has worked with impressive perseverance to connect musicians worldwide, strengthen their rights, and emphasise the value of music as a professional and socially relevant art form. His dedication was tangible that evening in Konstanz – perhaps the clearest proof of the power of his vision.
