location: Mali
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Ngri : Papus Zani
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Komo : Daouda Doumbia
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Sunu : Lamine Traore
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Ngri : Rainer Polak, Gerhard Kero
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Mendiani Dance : Mariam Diakite
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Maraka : Matche Traore
Matche Traore demonstrates the rhythm Maraka accompanied by Jesse Servin, and Aaron in Bamako. January 2016.
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Sogoninkun, Ngri : Seydou Balo
Seydou Balo plays two rhythms from his home region of Wassoulou. First Sogoninkun and then Ngri. We like this video because: Seydou and konkoni player Madou Diakite take us through different movements of these rhythms with the ups and downs typical of Wassoulou drumming.
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Sungurubani, Fura : Souleymane Sidibe, Matche Traore
Matche Traore and his teacher Souleymane Sidibe play two rhythms in this video shot in Bamako at The Djembe Hotel. They are joined by Sidi Jan Traore, a djembe player visiting from Kayes. The first is a rhythm with many versions from Wassoulou known as Sungurubani. The second is called Fura in Bamako (aka Kita […]
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Suku : Issou Keita
This is a clean Bamako version of Suku (Soli Rapide) with clear language and minimal embellishments. Issou (Student of Matche Traore, and son to Michael Tivier of Wassoulou Percussions) plays through a sequence twice – the second time is faster with more force. We like this video because: This video is good for studying. The […]
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Mendiani : Drissa Kone
For this rendition of Mendiani, Drissa Kone is accompanied by Jeremy Chevrier on djembe and Banou Sidibe on dunduns. Mendiani is one of Drissa’s strongest rhythms. He was fortunate enough to have learned much from Fasiriman Keita, the former drummer for Daba Keita. Daba is the Malian drummer and dancer credited with creating the Malinke group “Troupe Mendiani.” in the […]
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Maraka : Khalifa “Mao” Berthe
This video is from the Kangaba area south of Bamako. The guy’s name is Khalifa Berthe, but he is known as “Mao.” Before his death, Mao was one of the main drummers from Kangaba., He sure can play! This video demonstrates how with good timing and phrasing, and active accompaniment, an ensemble can play high-energy […]
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Ngri : Seydou Balo
Seydou Balo (deceased) plays a great demonstration of Ngri during a class held at the Djembe Hotel in Bamako, Mali. Seydou is from the Wassoulou region of Mali, and so is this rhythm, Ngri. He plays Ngri with a flavor that’s different from the way Bamako musicians play it today. Only Seydou plays djembe in this […]
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Village Djembe Documentary
The short documentary by Jeremy Chevrier of Rootsyrecords features Sega Cisse and other villagers from the area of Fuladugu, west of Bamako. There are a lot of familiar rhythms and dances featured in this video, and it’s nice to see footage of them from Fuladugu in contrast to Bamako. Key Moments: 0:00 Jeremy Chevrier Plays the intro […]
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Madan : Adama Coulibaly
Exceptionally melodic playing in this video by djembefola Adama Coulibaly in Kangaba, Mali, south of Bamako. Adama leaves a good amount of space in his soloing to let the simple accompaniment and dundun playing come through. Toward the end of the video, the dance starts to heat up, leading into what’s called “Mana Mani” in […]
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Festival : Segou, Mali
Malik Drame plays Bara music on bonkolo at a Bamana festival in Segou Mali. Funky! Bonkolo predates Djembe for the Bamana people. Today, in Mali, ancient rhythms like Bara get played on djembe, too. It’s good to get an idea of the origional instrumentation for these rhythms. The ergonomics of bonkolo tend to result in […]
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Mendiani, Tansole, Maraka + More : Daouda Doumbia
Daouda Doumbiya sings songs and plays some very nice phrasing for a handful of djembe rhythms in Segou, Mali. We Like this Video Because: Daouda sings some songs that are easy to hear. He plays phrases that mark the dance. He uses some closed and muted slaps for melody. Daouda is a great player, and […]
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N’Gri : Seydou Balo, Drissa Kone
Seydou Balo and Drissa Kone play Ngri in Bamako. They each solo with their own unique style. We like this video because: Seydou and Drissa both play with their own unique style. It’s nice to see the contrast. Seydou plays Ngri with a more Wassolon playing style, which is where this rhythm is from. They […]
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Sumalen : Drissa Kone
Drissa Kone and his chums play a rhythm called Sumalen – and man, is it ever groovy! We like this video because: This is a very musical rendition of Sumalen. It’s a pleasure to watch. There are very few videos of this rhythm on the web. It’s also one of the few examples of using […]
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Ceremony In Bamako : Seydou Keita
Seydou Keita plays djembe tastefully at this ceremony in Bamako. Do you know the name of this rhythm and dance? We like this video because: Seydou is a younger guy with great energy, but unlike many young djembe players in Bamako, he respects each rhythm’s special flavor. It’s a good study reference. Tisanba doesn’t show up […]
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Mendiani : Adama Coulibaly
If you haven’t seen this yet, watch it now! Adama plays an awesome rendition of Mendiani in Kangaba, Mali. We like this video because: Kangaba is in the heart of Mande. This video shows a “Mali version” of Mendiani, smack dab in its native habitat. Adama is obviously very comfortable with Mendiani. It’s great to see […]
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Suku, Madan : Drissa Kone, Sedou Balo
Drissa Kone and Sedou Balo have fun warming up before a ceremony in Bamako. What a team! We like this video because: Contrast. These guys have really different styles. In Suku, we can learn a lot from watching them both do it “their way”. We can also learn some good, simple jeli dundun variations from […]
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Korojuga Music : Segou, Mali
A procession plays Korojuga music and enters a compound in Segu, Mali. We like this video because: In this video we see the group play a rhythm with a cycle of 5 notes. This is rare in Mande music. It reminds us that there’s always an exception to the rule.
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Dansa : Matche Traore, Souleye Sidibe
Matche and his teacher Souleye Sidibe play djembe solo for Dansa. Matche plays in a very “Bamako” style and Souleye plays in a very “Wassolon” style. We like this video because: We love these videos where two people play djembe solo with quite different styles. The contrast helps us hone in on the rhythm’s essence […]
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Jagawara : Aruna Sidibe
Aruna Sidibe plays a rendition of Djagawara, a rhythm from the region of Wassoulou. This video was taken during a recording session for the CD “Mali Drums: Old Masters” recorded by Michael Pluznik in Bamako. We like this video because: Aruna is really good at varying on only a few key themes and keeping a […]