Dynamic Musical Duo to Perform at Next Stage Arts in Putney

Cellist Mike Block and master kora player Yacouba Sissoko will perform a special concert at Next Stage Arts on Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025. This is Block's fourth time performing at Next Stage and Sissoko's first. "Mike Block has become a fan favorite over the past few years. He's a virtuosic cellist with an impressive range of musical projects and co-collaborators," says Maria Basescu, Interim Executive Director of Next Stage Arts in a recent email to the Sentinel. "This partnership is especially interesting because it fuses a master of western classical music with one of the world's leading kora players. Sissoko has performed with a who's who list of global musicians. This duo is not to be missed," Basescu adds. Block is a Grammy Award-winning multi-style cellist, composer, singer and educator, with a passion for cross-cultural collaborations. Since 2005, Block has played with Yo-Yo Ma's "Silkroad Ensemble" and that earned him a Grammy Award for Best Global Music Album in 2017. Block is also an innovator and inventor. He invented and patented a The Block Strap which allows a cellist to stand up while playing. "Cello is traditionally played seated. I've been playing mostly non-classical music for most of my career, even though my training was classical. I thought it was more fun and helpful for me to stand up and move around while playing," explains Block. "Ten years ago I was designing the strap which didn't exist. I patented the design and in those 10 years I have sold 3,000 straps to cellists who want to move around when they play." Sissoko will also be playing a traditional instrument, but one native to his West African culture: the kora. The kora is a 21-stringed plucked instrument with a gourd resonator, which is the traditional instrument accompanying their songs and is played using only two fingers on each hand. This special duo took shape because Block and Sissoko share many mutual friends. "Yacouba is an incredible musician from Mali. I've played with lots of musicians from Mali and he lives in New York where I used to live so we have lots of musical friends in the global music scene in common," says Block in a recent phone call. The duo started rehearsing in September and this will be their first time exploring the combination of instruments together. The set list includes a mixture of original compositions and adaptations of traditional music. "What we're trying to do is bring each other into our worlds and bring new life into both of our backgrounds. We are combining traditional music with original contemporary music, i.e. American fiddle tunes as well as West African pieces," notes Block. "On this tour I was looking to return to some familiar venues that I really like, including Next Stage. I love the community and love the venue. I wanted to bring something new there and I thought Yacouba was somebody these audiences would really enjoy," Block says. The West African music that Sissoko performs is 800 years old. "The feeling I hope they get is this connection to an incredible deep tradition that goes back many centuries. The roots are so deep which is really powerful. Here we are in the 21st century as individual artists still writing our own music," adds Block. Master kora player and djeli Yacouba Sissoko lives in New York City and grew up in Mali in West Africa. Coming from a family line of Malian musicians dating back centuries, he learned to play the kora at the age of 9 from his grandfather. Sissoko has modernized the kora sound, collaborating with luminaries like Harry Belafonte, Lauryn Hill and Paul Simon. According to publicity materials, Sissoko devotes his musical gift to expand the awareness of West African history and culture, spreading the word of peace and empowering his listeners to take charge and realize their imagined futures. For centuries, djelis have been the musical storytellers, a position that is inherited through a family bloodline. Highly respected within their communities, they are the keepers of the factual history and the fictional fables of past rulers, nobles, social groups and families. "Playing with Mike (Block) is so exciting and inspiring. Getting more experiences from each other with our musical styles is what I'm looking forward to at Next Stage," says Sissoko. "It always is a pleasure and an honor for me to introduce my music and culture to the audiences," adds Sissoko. SHOW DETAILS Next Stage Arts presents a special duo of cellist Mike Block and master kora player and djeli Yacouba Sissoko on Saturday, Jan. 18 at 7:30 p.m. at Next Stage Arts, located at 15 Kimball Hill in downtown Putney, Vt. Tickets are $20 in advance; $25 at the door; $10 for livestream. Next Stage will provide a cash bar. Advance tickets are available at nextstagearts.org. For more information, call 802-387-0102 or visit nextstagearts.org For more information on Mike Block, visit, mikeblockmusic.com. For more information on Yacouba Sissoko, visit https://yacousiskora.com/.