So I went to the launch party for Sibo Bangoura's new cd in Newtown in Sydney the other day.

There really is quite a lot of djembe action going on here in Sydney and it was a great show.

I'm dying to play djembe again. It been months now. Kinda strange since there's souch djembe action going on here in Sydney. I should probably go and seek out sone lessons from some of the guineans while I'm here.

winter also means more splits in my fungers.

i try to refrain from playing lead during a dance class warmup so i can get my hands and body warmed up too.

making a short visit to santa cruz at the end of march, seeking a good Djembe/Dounou class or teacher to connect with while I am there any suggestions????

winter means rain here on the central coast of cali.

rain means humidity.

humidity means my drums go down.

i hate tuning drums when it's soggy outside.

In 2003, I attended a men's gathering where a group of men congregated in the Australian bush for a few days to talk about men's issues. There were various personal development workshops, ceremonies, yoga, singing, sports, dancing, meditation—you name it. One thing that is popular at such gatherings is drumming and, at this particular event, a group of Australians were (skilfully) playing Mandingue rhythms with a full dundun and djembe ensemble. I remember listening and being absolutely fascinated by the richness of the music, and by its depth and complexity. It was like no other music I'd ever heard before. Whenever there was drumming, I was there to listen and feel the music.

At the gathering, the musicians passed around flyers for an African concert that was taking place a few weeks later, and I decided to go along. As it turned out, Epizo Bangoura performed with the ensemble there, and I got to hear a master djembefola for the first time. This was the most jaw-dropping musical experience o...

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