hardly smiling hardily

[diakardiadoumbia]

Hello to all the members of djembefola.com Wow, what a great resource this is.
My name is Zachariah Combs (in Mali, Diakardia Doumbia) and I am almost 40 years old, living in Worcester, Massachusetts, USA.

I started drumming in college with Wall Matthews in 1990. That year Abdoul Doumbia arrived from Mali and came as a guest teacher to Wall's class. Hearing him hooked me. Two years later I was in Mali living with Abdoul's friend Ibrahima Sarr. The heavy-handed style of Sarr really fit for me, and has been my model for technique.
Sometime in 2000 I stopped drumming, and started building houses. It was a harsh, clean break from one life to another.

Time moved, then I was picking apples with my sister and daughter, and Moussa Traore had a concert at the orchard. I hadn't seen any of my Malian friends in years. Hadn't heard the djembe played in so long. That moment rekindled something in my insides...and soon I was on a stage playing for kids again, with Seydou and Issa Coulibaly. This is where it is strange...my face had a funny feeling. I started to wonder if I had some sort of palsy...my jaw and cheek were feeling so strange. I started to get worried for a minute....then someone said something funny, and I smiled...the smile tweaked the pain...and suddenly I realized the pain was not from palsy, it was from smiling so hard for the last hour while playing again. I was hurt from smiling! and more than that...I didn't even recognize the feeling...it had been too long since I was smiling so hardily.

That event was the turning point for me. Now I am refocused to playing, learning, and being with kids again.
It is with this renewed focus I greet you all and hope to get to know some of you more.
Good luck to everyone, spring is here!

Zachariah

[Djembe-nerd]

Thats a good one !! Hurting cos of smiling

Welcome to the forum !!

[Jan >^..^<]

Well, I just started here myself, but welcome!

I think I understand that smile thing! I just got a djembe, but when I was sitting on the sidewalk trying them out, wow! What a feeling! I was smiling for days!

[bubudi]

hi zach! welcome to the forum! you've been around this music for a long time! (even considering your long break). sounds like you're back with renewed vigour. you went to mali at a good time, when relatively few had gone there to study drumming.

stick around and read some of the many interesting topics. you can use the search box if you're looking for anything specific here.

[Waraba]

Ahhhh, Zach. Nice to see you again. You know who this is.

[Waraba]

In case I'm not being clear enough, there was someone else you started drumming with with Wall Matthews, too...

[michi]

In case I'm not being clear enough, there was someone else you started drumming with with Wall Matthews, too...

Sounds like we need another forum category: "Reunions"

Cheers,

Michi.

[diakardiadoumbia]

waraba...i thought that was you..based on reading some posts and such.
nice to see you are around. Everyone else, thanks for the great welcome.
I am amazed at how much accumulated knowledge and information is in these
theads...very great resource for us all.