Piers Faccini & Ballaké Sissoko / Songs We Carry – Union Chapel, Islington: Live Review

John Barlass

7 months ago

Seven months on from the album’s release, Piers Faccini & Ballake Sissoko arrive at London’s Union Chapel to launch Our Calling, the duo’s stunning tribute to migration in all its forms. Ana Silvera & Saied Silbak, aka Songs We Carry complete the lineup for an evening of blissful, contemplative music.

AN ALBUM IS LAUNCHED…

It’s a reminder that 2025 is passing us by at lighting speed. It was back in mid-February when we came across Our Calling, the stunning frontier-stretching album from Anglo-Italian-Malian duo, Piers Faccini and Ballaké Sissoko. Our Calling is an enduring album that pays tribute to migration in all its forms, presented as a seamless fusion of Malian traditions with contemporary folk writing. The album is surely destined to feature as one of At The Barrier’s albums of the year and, now, at last, Piers and Ballaké have got around to formally launching it!

A RECAP

To recap: London-born, to an Italian father and English mother, Piers Faccini is a man of many talents – poet, painter, singer-songwriter and author. He specializes in music of a folky flavour in general and in world music in particular. A founder member of Charley Marlowe, with whom he released one album, This Could Be You, in 2000, he’s since released eight solo albums – most recently Shapes Of The Fall in 2021. Piers is a willing collaborator and has, over the years, worked with an impressive range of artists, including Rokia Traoré, Busi Mhlongo, Ben Harper and Dawn Landes, with whom he recorded an EP, Desert Songs in 2016.

Known as a master of the kora, Malian musician Ballaké Sissoko has been playing professionally for most of his life – indeed, he joined the Ensemble Instrumental du Mali (the Malian national orchestra of traditional music) aged just 13. He has an impressive string of albums to his name, dating back to his 1998 debut, Kora Music From Mali, and like Piers, he’s a keen collaborator, having recorded albums with artists such as Vincent Segal, Toumani Diabaté, Rokia Traoré and, most recently, Nicole Mitchell.

AN AURA OF BLISS

Musical veterans they both may be, but Our Calling is the first album that the pair have made together. It’s a finely-crafted album; a sonic and narrative tribute to migration in all its forms, be it through nature as seeds borne by the winds, migratory birds flying between West Africa and Europe at the turn of the seasons, or human journeys conducted over the centuries and along trade routes, sharing musical modes, practices and rhythms. And – tonight’s launch event might be a few months down the road from the album’s release, but Islington’s wonderful Union Chapel proved to be the perfect venue for an evening of blissful, contemplative, music.

And, that aura of bliss and contemplation was set in motion by the a beautiful blend of Ladino (Judeo-Spanish) music and Arabian Maqams and melodies, courtesy of opening act, Songs We Carry – aka British singer and multi-instrumentalist Ana Silvera and Palestinian composer, oud virtuoso and singer, Saied Silbak.

SONGS WE CARRY

Ana’s and Saied’s music is a joy. The drones from Ana’s harmonium and the notes from her fingerpicked guitar figures provide a wonderful accompaniment to Saied’s voyages of oud exploration and the pair’s vocal harmonies soothe and lift the soul. For 30 minutes – or so – a North London chapel was transported to the sands of the Arabian desert.

Ana and Saied have chosen the name ‘Songs We Carry’ because their songs are rooted in the traditions of the pair’s forbears. Ana’s Ladino roots are, themselves, a blend of Spanish, Hebrew, Arabic, Greek, Balkan and Turkish influences, whilst Saied revisits the rich Arabian folk traditions for his own inspiration. Ana’s voice sooths and soars and Saied’s is rich and warm and, when the pair join vocal forces, the effect is almost hymnal.

The sights, the sounds and even the scents of the Middle East seemed to work their way into that London room as Ana dedicated a lovely piece to her Izmir-born, multi-lingual, great grandmother. I’d have loved to been able to understand the song’s lyrics which, according to Ana, involved the culinary adventures of a frog!

I WILL NOT TOLERATE INJUSTICE…

But I don’t believe that I’m speaking out of turn by suggesting the the twin highlights of the Songs We Carry set were Saied’s two pieces reflecting upon the intolerable situation in Gaza. With the instrumental, Voices From Gaza, Saied demonstrated his oud virtuosity to devastating effect, with each hand becoming a blur as he coaxed the amazing sounds from his instrument. The effect of the performance upon the audience was such that the hall was stunned into silence, before erupting into raucous applause as Ana and Saied embraced. And there was yet more virtuosity on show as the duo closed their short yet oh-so-engaging set with a contemporary Palestinian song with a title that translates as; “I will not tolerate injustice.” And the title, the sentiment, the awesome musicianship and the blissful harmony singing were rewarded by a well-earned standing ovation.

PIERS FACCINI AND BALLKAKÉ SISSOKO

The arrival onstage of Piers and Ballaké drew a resounding reception from the audience. Ballaké set the theme for the evening right at the outset with a lovely, dreamlike, kora solo, before Piers stepped into the spotlight to deliver the vocals for opening song, Ninna Nanna. The packed hall was mesmerized and Ballaké, in particular, was visibly enraptured in the music.

It was clear that many in the audience were familiar with Our Calling and that the album had had the same effect upon those audience members as it had on us. Heads swayed ecstatically throughout Borne on the Wind, Piers’ and Ballaké’s ‘love song to the migrating nightingale’ and the rapture continued as Piers’ electric guitar and Ballaké’s kora became inextricably entwined during I Wanted To Belong.

THE SPIRIT OF JOHN MARTYN?

I’ve commented previously that, at certain times, in certain songs, Piers seems to inhabit the spirit of John Martyn and that’s certainly the case with North and South, a bluesy number with a hefty serving of Malian magic – and the duo did the song full justice tonight! And, by this stage of the show, Piers and Ballaké were getting well into the Our Calling mood – but the evening wasn’t JUST a showpiece for the album – the pair also took the opportunity to delve into some older material. Ballaké’s French language introduction to the Malian song, Famade, was translated by Piers, before Ballaké once again wound his kora around Piers’ bluesy guitar licks. And we stayed off-album for a folky bit of clap-along improvisation that prompted Piers to remark “…that’s what happens when you feel good on stage!”

We returned to Our Calling for a well-embellished version of Go Where Your Eyes in which Ballaké first created a relaxing, thoughtful mood, before cranking up the pace for a full-on gallop towards the song’s climax. But that return was a brief one and If I, a song recorded by Piers (with input form Ballaké) in 2005 was a genuine highlight of the show. It’s another song with a John Martyn influence and another heady mix of bluesy singer-songwriter folk and Malian tradition. And Ballaké’s kora workout earned one of the evening’s loudest cheers!

A RIOTOUS OVATION

Inspired by the eagles that nest above Piers’ house in France, Mournful Moon is yet another gem from Our Calling, as is the excellent Shadows Are. The song is based around an old tune of Ballaké’s, to which Piers added English lyrics. “You won’t notice the join if we get it right,” quipped Piers. We didn’t notice the join, but we did all notice that Ballaké managed to work his most absorbing kora solo of the evening into the song!

Piers and Ballaké attempted to sign off with a sprightly version of Nothing Is Real – another standout song from Our Calling – but the audience were having none of it and a riotous standing ovation brought the duo back to the stage for a closing lullaby – which Piers sang in Ballaké’s native Bambara language. By way of introduction, Piers recalled his first encounter with the kora on, an album of Malian music he purchased back in the 1980s. Unbelievably (or not) that piece of music had been played by Ballaké’s father and Ballaké reprised that tune for the evening’s final flourish of kora magic.

Piers and Ballaké left the stage with arms entwined around each other. And a bedazzled audience left The Union Chapel in a state of ecstacy. What a duo! What a show!