"Flamenkora exudes a remarkable sense of cultural diversity as three accomplished musicians seamlessly communicate in their respective native languages, showcasing an uncanny ability to listen and respond to one another, resulting in an exquisite musical beauty."
JAZZIZ
"... reflective, soulful music..."
London Jazz News
"Volker Goetze is a a virtuoso, endlessly imaginative trumpeter who plays with great passion and soul. Moreover, he is a consummate musician with an insatiable curiosity about musics of all kinds, and who infuses everything he plays with both stylistic command and a deeply personal touch."
Guy Klucevsek
“Powerful writing combining jazz, classical and African elements. And if you think you know Lenny Picket from Tower of Power and Saturday Night Live, check him out on ‘Solace’.”
Jim McNeely
#1 iTunes France
World Music Album
#1 Global Hit of 2012
Public Radio International
A quiet gem!”
Siddhartha Mitter, Boston Globe (USA)
“Nominated for best traditional song“
9th Annual Independent Music Awards (USA)
“#2 Album“
College Music Journal (CMJ), World Music Chart (USA)
“A breath of fresh air, Ablaye Cissoko and Volker Goetze's Sira provides an oasis of calm in which to pause and rest, to reflect and be moved...to tears.“
All About Jazz (USA)
4 stars! “A real late-night beauty...More than a sum of its parts, a conjoining of talents that brings real magic.”
All Music Guide
“The music on this album is a revelation.”
Songlines (UK)
“A musical dialogue full of mutual listening and shared trust.”
Radio France International (France)
5 stars! “Their effortless conversation, between echoes of tradition and invented vocabulary, both soothes and thrills.”
Mondomix (France)
4 Stars! “Recorded in Senegal as a duet, Sira marks a true meeting of the minds. 10 delicate titles, a hymn to simplicity and to the universality of music. Beautiful.”
Jazzman (France)
“What’s unusual is not so much the combination of instruments, but the way in which these two musicians of clearly different backgrounds have created quite a distinct sound. The album is a wonderful collaboration of cultures and language.”
BBC World on 3 (UK)
“A captivating intercontinental exchange.”
Vibrations (UK)
Biography
An award-winning trumpeter, composer, and filmmaker, Volker Goetze is celebrated for his ability to fuse jazz with global musical traditions, creating transcendent works that promote cultural connectivity. His collaborations with Senegalese kora master Ablaye Cissoko—including the acclaimed album Sira and the documentary Griot—have been hailed as masterclasses in cross-cultural dialogue. Their album Amanke Dionti was named “Best World Music Album of 2012” by NPR’s The World and has garnered over 35 million streams worldwide. Goetze’s latest project, Little Big Top (Motema, 2024), is a collaborative journey with legendary accordionist, Guy Klucevsek, through musical landscapes where echoes of the ballroom, barroom, bordello, circus, and concert hall intermingle with jazz and folk from around the world. His prior release FlamenKora (2023), bridges West African kora, Spanish flamenco, and American jazz, earning international acclaim and sold-out performances in Europe. A multimedia artist, Goetze’s film “The Griot” and innovative his innovative Sonic Gates project in Staten Island, New York —the city’s first Sound Sculpture Walk—are examples of his commitment to integrating music, art, and community.
