Balla Kouyate, a balafon player from Mali, and cellist/singer Mike Block have had a long collaborative relationship over 10 years, bonding over their shared interest in musics from across the world, and their commitment to innovating with their instruments, bringing them into new musical environments. Balla Kouyate, coming out of the Djeli tradition of Mali, was awarded a National Heritage Fellowship from the NEA, and Mike Block is a Grammy Award-winning musician with a Western Classical background.