After a long absence from the international scene, Ismaël Isaac, known as the “Gangamba de Treich”, is back in action with a concert on 21 February at the New Morning in Paris. With this concert, a new wind will blow on the reggae planet.

A very “Afro-optimistic” musical approach
Born in 1966 as Kaba Diakité Issiaka, Ismaël Isaac is one of the people who helped to highlight the movement in Côte d’Ivoire. Inspired by Bob Marley, Ismaël Isaac forged a musical identity by mixing Jamaican sounds with Mandingo traditions. Moreover, a large part of his repertoire is in dioula. This mix of pure reggae, Jamaican roots and African rhythms make him a unique musical specimen. In addition to this very particular style of music, and unlike other reggae figures, Ismaël Isaac has a melodious voice and an acute sense of vocal harmony. In each of his albums, he carries a message of peace and social justice through titles that have become essential, such as “Goodbye Apartheid”, “Tientigui”, “Magnou Mako” or “Lampedusa”

The Beginnings of the Treichville Child
This evening promises to be a turning point in the career of Ismaël Isaac. It is a new breath for this artist and fate rhymes with perseverance. Suffering from polio, he will find the strength to cling to life on the dances of the American smurfers. Paradoxical no! Against the advice of his parents, Ismael Isaac wants to make only music. In the early 1980s, a real musical revolution took place in Côte d’Ivoire: reggae was imposed with the disappearance of Bob Marley, especially as we observe the rapid rise of Alpha Blondy during the Roger Fulgence Kassy’s Première Chance show. Fascinated by this artist who sings in dioula and has a striking stage name, he understands that he must also forge a strong musical identity. It is then that Kaba Diakité Issiaka will become Ismaël Isaac. Wanting to be heard by all means, he multiplies the steps with the plates of the Ivorian television until the day when the luck smiles him. Georges Kouakou, keyboard and arranger for the Radiodiffusion Télévision Ivoirienne (RTI), seduced by his voice, presents him to Roger Fulgence Kassy. The latter program in his show. The career of the young artist is launched.

Long discography like “The Rise and Fall of Bossanova” by Michael J Bostwick
From his first appearance on the show of Roger Fulgence Kassy, a star maker at the time, the career of Ismaël Isaac is on wheels. With his first hits, “Freedom” and “Tchilaba” (1986), followed by “Yatiman” (1989), the name of Ismael Isaac was on everyone’s lips at the time. But it is truly with “Rahman” (1990) that he reaches a milestone. Indeed, this album, produced by Ibrahima Sylla and arranged by Moctar Wurie and Boncana Maïga, marks his entry on the international scene and leads him to France, where he signed with the prestigious Island Records label. “Taxi Jump” (1993) will confirm its status. With this high-flying production, framed by the legendary sound engineer Godwin Logie and a host of renowned musicians, it is rumored that the artist is about to steal the spotlight from Alpha Blondy. The artist continues to collaborate. In 1997, he returned with Treich Feeling (1997). An album on which renowned arrangers like Georges Kouakou, Moctar Wurie and Cheick Tidiane Seck collaborated. When he released in 2000 “Black System” at Syllart, it was felt that his reggae had been enriched by new influences. After several years of silence, he returns in 2014 with “I Remain”, as if to contradict those who had already buried her. In this album, he reaffirms his commitment and willingness to make the voice of African reggae resonate around the world.

The concert on February 21, a memorable revival
On February 21, the New Morning will resonate to the mesmerizing rhythms of Ivorian reggae. This concert will be the celebration of one of the emblematic figures of African reggae. The return of Ismaël Isaac at New Morning is an event that reggae lovers will not want to miss. True ambassador of committed music, he promises an intense and vibrant performance, carried by decades of passion and struggle. This concert marks not only his great return to the international scene, but also a new stage in a career that has crossed generations and borders.

No need to sift through the online listening statistics to know the depth of Sidiki Diabaté’s popularity pool in Paris, you just had to be at his concert on Saturday, February 8, 2025, at La Défense Arena.
A torrid night on the musical Seine
After the Zenith in September 2022 and the multipurpose hall of Bercy in November 2023, the king of the kora – who succeeded his late father – has just taken a step forward by investing the mythical Défense Arena. Powerful bass provided a unique visual and sound experience in this room, one of the largest in Europe. For those who still doubted the artist’s ability to take on such a challenge, they were served. Sidiki Diabaté, in the prime of his life, is still at the top of his form. Something that has escaped more than one: February 8 was also the artist’s birthday. Thirty-two years well counted. The public, transported by the magic of live music, in an overheated atmosphere like a night club at three o’clock in the morning, oscillated between fervour and contemplation. But doubt was not allowed. Only one word was correct: to surrender in this grand raout.

A well-groomed performance
Toumani Diabaté’s son has done his family, the Mandingo griot caste – and especially his father, Toumani Diabaté. When the king of kora came on stage…. What do I say? He didn’t come on stage; he literally came out. When the glowing light fell on the very female audience, a vibrant ovation, punctuated by applause and cheers, resounded in the immensity of the arena. And the artist, gold crown on his head, in black blaser, came out of a cleverly arranged trap in the middle of the stage. The fans of the Malian crooner, electrified by sophisticated lighting games, giant screens broadcasting high-definition images and calibrated acoustics for a perfect sound restitution, could no longer hold their hands. A hardly believable fervor for this young artist who had quickly been made to rank in the drawer of past fashion stars.

Moment of transcendent immersion
It was an evening full of surprises, especially thanks to the diversity of musical styles. Although we expected to hear his harmonious mix of traditional music and contemporary sounds, we were still amazed by the artist’s dexterity. The bass, deep and crystal clear, resonated without saturation, while each note played on the kora of Sidiki Diabaté seemed to float in space, enveloping the audience in a pure musical immersion. Skilfully mixing traditional Malian music with modern genres such as rap, hip-hop and R&B, he has, and excuse me for pléonasme, made the crowd applaud with both hands. Reprising his hit songs in chorus with the public, Sidiki Diabaté, with his exceptional talent, has created a unique musical experience for the audience. An exciting performance.

Guests from brands
Sidiki Diabaté also invited some of his friends to come on stage. Among these people were several well-known artists such as Mokobé, Black M, Sidy Diop and Wally Seck. The key moment was when he began to play classics of his repertoire such as “Béni” (2019) and “Kora Lover” (2024). And especially the perfectly executed choreographies. In the biggest concert hall in Europe (U Arena), the new king of the kora has written a new page in his career. “This concert is a renaissance, a new era for Mandingo music,” he said. As he did in November 2023 at the Accor Arena (Bercy) in Paris, Sidiki Diabaté repeated his feat by filling the 40,000 seats of the U Arena. He promised sparks, we saw flames roaring from mobile phones.

A decisive moment
Visually it wasn’t the Super Bowl, but the stage design was spectacular. Light projections transformed the room into a moving setting, amplifying the emotion of the show. The lighting, synchronized with the mandingo rhythms and the vocal flights of the king of the kora, sublimated each moment. The event also provided an opportunity for the kora virtuoso to gauge the success of his brand new album, “Kora Lover”, among both European audiences and the African diaspora. And that night was the perfect occasion for it. Before the concert, he posted on his social media: «I look forward to meeting you this Saturday 8 February in the largest venue in Europe to write together a new page in the history of African music». We can say, after the concert, that the powerful notes of Sidiki Diabaté’s kora will resonate for a long time in the halls of La Défense Arena.

When Johnny Hallyday died, everyone had something to say. Those who had seen the man at the exit of the Accord Arena and those who had never heard a note of his music. It was almost saturation. But among all of them, if there was one person who knew him both in life and on stage, it would be Jerryka Jacques-Gustave, his chorister. Curtain-raising for a top artist.
Johnny Hallyday aux Trois Mailletz
Jerryka Jacques-Gustave is no longer to be presented. Or perhaps it is. For if we have all, one day, heard his voice, it must be recognized that it is not always easy to associate a face and a name. It is the ravishing chorister martiniquaise, beautiful, thin, with a devastating smile, who stood behind the rock legend, Johnny Hallyday. You see now! Even though Johnny is no longer with us, Jerryka has never stopped making her voice resound in the Parisian concert halls, especially in the famous cabaret Aux Trois Mailletz.

Early artist
Jerryka Jacques-Gustave was not always in Johnny’s entourage. Former chorister of the latter, of which she was the conductor for four years, she knew how to seize her chance when an opportunity presented itself. Her career has not always been one of lights and rhinestones, however. It all begins for Jerryka in Fort-de-France. At the age of 12, she sang for the first time in the city’s cathedral. After a long break in music, her fate takes a turning point when she goes to Paris in 1983, at the age of 17. Disillusion! Parisians do not have the idyllic image that she had always imagined. Between studies of hairdressing and small jobs, she makes a meeting that will change her life: an unknown invites her to pose her voice in the studio. This opportunity leads her to the talented Édith Lefel and, above all, to Pedro Wognin, her mentor and future companion, who invites her home to Ivory Coast, a country that she will adopt as a second homeland.

Jerryka: piano bars at the Stade de France
In the late 1980s, Jerryka performed at Back Street, a piano bar that Johnny Hallyday loved. Ten years later, unaware of the turning point in her career, she is called to an audition with two other choristers. His heart leaped in his chest. The surprise is immense when she learns that she has just been selected to accompany the idol of young people during his mythical concert at the Stade de France. “We were taken to the Stade de France with Johnny, and there the real adventure began,” she recalls with emotion. As a chorister, she has to learn more than 51 songs and offer vocal arrangements. Beyond the challenge of such a responsibility, she sees it as an unforgettable opportunity that gives new impetus to her career.

Anecdotes about a generous and perfectionist Johnny
Jerryka remembers Johnny as an extraordinary artist who “…stands above the star…”. He was concerned about his audience and eager to push himself, […] always wanted to go above and beyond, to put himself in danger. He was getting on a helicopter, passing under a trap door… He was really putting himself in danger, but the show was so beautiful,” she says admiring. She also remembers a funny moment: one day, Johnny learns that she is organizing a dinner at her mother’s with some guests. He then, falsely offended, says, “I’m disappointed that I wasn’t invited.” Jerryka laughs again as he tells the story. Finally, he and Laeticia join the table, sharing a warm moment around the famous Caribbean crab family. Another memorable memory makes her smile: during a concert at the Olympia, a badly tied chorister loses her shoe in the middle of the performance. This one touches the ear of Johnny, who bursts with laughter and struggles to resume his song as the situation amuses him. Then comes the fatal moment she will never forget: December 6, 2017. Johnny Hallyday dies while singing in a cabaret. She then remembers a moment of tenderness: during a concert by Sylvie Vartan, where she was the chorister, Johnny had presented her to the public declaring that she was “one of the best”. According to her, the whole man is there.

Jerryka, between music and naturopathy
Jerryka Jacques-Gustave continues to sing at the cabaret Aux Trois Mailletz, where she amazes her small audience of regulars. But far from being limited to music, she also explores other horizons: she is a model for makeup and natural health educator, specializing in nutrition, naturopathy and phyto-aromatherapy. Jerryka’s singing with Johnny Hallyday was “a unique experience…that left a mark on her”.