The music of Diom de Kossa
New album
After ten years with the ballet he settled in Norway where he has been active on the music scene for several decades. Diom de Kossas music is a result of this journey, and is incredibly rich in its connection to the Ivorian tradition. This album, the second album with a full band, is the result of a fifteen year long working relationship between Diom de Kossa, Kenneth Ekornes and Olav Torget, who have studied musical traditions in Brazil and West Africa. During this collaboration Ekornes and Torget have become very much at home in Kossas music. The newcomer in the band, Tiago Mendez from Brazil, is bringing his own flavour to the music. The music in this new album "Wasso" is Diom de Kossas compositions and lyrics, arranged by the group.
The band
Diom de Kossa has allied himself with some of Norway’s foremost musicians in world music and jazz genre:
Kenneth Ekornes: drums and percussion. Working as a freelance musician in Oslo, with emphasis on jazz / ethnic music. He finds inspiration in the Norwegian, Sami, Brazilian, Cuban and African folk music. Jazz/improvised music forms the basis of his own musicianship and he combines acoustic percussion instruments from around the world and electronics. He has been involved in various projects such Mari Boine Band, Nymark Collective, FØYK, Claudio Dauelsberg Quartet and Brass bros.
Tiago Mendes: bass, vocals. Tiago is a newcomer on the Norwegian music scene, but have already been very active, playing with artists and groups like Samsaya, Sheldon Blackman, Robert Rustad Amundsen, Chakras, SoulXL and , in addition to his contributions in the Brazilian music scene.
Olav Torget: N’Goni, guitar, vocals. He has been a freelance musician in Oslo for 20 years. Since 1994 he has been into African music and was for four years part of a cultural exchange program between Norway and Namibia. After several stays in Southern Africa he started playing with Solo Cissokho, a well-known Kora player from Senegal. He has studied the West African instrument N’Goni in Senegal and Gambia. In Norway, he is best known for co-operation with Steinar Ofsdal and Helge Norbakken, Geir Lysne Listening Ensemble, Karl Seglem Anita Skorgan and Kristin Asbjørnsen.
Diom de Kossa: Vocal, Percussion. From the Ivory Coast, and has a background in traditional music. He was selected to play in the Ivory Coast National Ballet and was there for 10 years before he came to Norway in 1985. In Norway, he led the orchestra Super Djembe Kan, and has released five recordings under his own name. He has also played with artists like Robert Burås and Mory Kante, Malika Makouf Rasmussen, Primal Spirit, og Cissokho System.
