BALLAKE SISSOKO (kora) AND DEREK GRIPPER (guitar)
Malian virtuoso Ballaké Sissoko has taken over the mantle of the greatest touring kora player. Derek Gripper is South Africa’s leading guitarist whose love of the kora set him transcribing and recording some of its greatest works, changing the face of classical guitar and giving the instrument its very first African repertoire.
Winners of Songlines Best Album 2024.
DEREK GRIPPER (Guitar) and ALAM KHAN (sarod)
In a rare and remarkable collaboration, Grammy nominated sarodist Alam Khan — son of the legendary Ali Akbar Khan — joins forces with one of South Africa's most innovative guitarists, Derek Gripper. The two first met in 2025 over a cup of tea in Alam's teaching room, a meeting that led to a spontaneous trio recording with South African guitarist Guy Buttery. Alam went on to join Derek in concerts with Derek's long-time collaborator, the great Malian kora virtuoso Ballaké Sissoko, and then in an intimate duo recording session in the hills of Berkeley.
DEREK GRIPPER (Guitar) and GUY BUTTERY (guitar)
Long-time friends, collaborators and leading exponents of the acoustic guitar in South Africa, Derek Gripper and Guy Buttery collaborated on their first recorded release in an improvised live concert captured in Cape Town in 2019. First heard as an exclusive premiere on NPR's "New Sounds" radio show, the album is something of a melting pot of South African and Eastern influences, with Guy Buttery’s long-time fascination with his home town Durban’s long history of Indian culture and music, as well as both of the guitarist’s interest and exposure to African music, Guy’s immersion in Maskandi and Derek’s long-time history of translating and collaborating with kora players worldwide.