new to the group from asheville, nc

[Jessie]

Hello everybody,

My name is Jessica and I live in Asheville, NC. I started playing and studying West African drumming from Guinea and Ivory Coast in 1998. My main teachers include Koumbana and Bolokada Conde from Percussions de Guinea, Madou Dembele, Adama Dembele and Kevin Meyame. My first trip to Guinea was in 2001, where I stayed and studied with Koumbana and then went to Ivory Coast to Abidjan to study with Adama and Madou Dembele as well as Ballet Djolem and Yolemba D' Abidjan. My most recent trip was in 2007 where I stayed three months at Bolokada's house even though he was in California at the time, and studied with his top African students Gibril and Massa. I study lead and accompanyment djembe, dundun, sanbahn, kenkeni and play both traditional and ballet styles.

Over these last 11 years I have also been in six different performance ensembles that have grown out of students of this music, and Africans who live in Asheville. Our first group, and the group who I first travelled to Africa with, formed in 1998 and lasting 4 years, eventually grew into the band Toubab Krewe who some of you might have heard of before. Another group Ballet Warraba was lucky enough to have Bolokada Conde on lead djembe and arranging music, Alkaly Camara on Balaphone and Buntu from Les Amazons and Percussions de Guinea dancing and playing tambour. The remaining groups included Kevin Meyame from Ivory Coast with our group "Avec la Force" and then Ensemble Djembeso with Adama Dembele.

Currently I direct and play lead djembe for my own group that is called Chx w/ Stx. We are an all woman's drum and dance troupe that plays mainly music from Guinea and Ivory Coast with two dancers on tambours and a balaphone player. Our style sprouts from the traditional music, but is unique in its own. Many of us have studied this music along side each other for ten years and have played in one or more of the same groups over that span of time. We are very much at home together and with this music and dance and so have been able to make something that is tight, powerful and uniquely our own. We create our own arrangements as well as invite African teachers to set pieces on us. We have fun and perform and teach in and around asheville.

Thats a little about me and where I come from with this music. Over the years I have also done a fair share of teaching school residancies, facilitating drum therapy sessions, doing african music based lecture demos as well as teaching a weekly class and playing lead or dundun for the local dance classes. I am just trying to play as much as possible with those people who challange me and put myself in positions that will make me grow musically, like taking lessons and playing with the local West African drummers who come near or live in Asheville.

Playing West African music has become a big part of my life, something I do almost every day. So I hope to just make some connections here with folks with similar interests.

[bubudi]

welcome, jessica. do you still play with the guys from tubab krewe? they are a good band. i would be interested to know how you evaluate the different teachers you had...koungbana, madou, adama, bolo. each good on different merits, i would think. any favourites?

[the kid]

Howdy Jessica and welcome to the forum. I was just taking a gander at your myspace, hope ya don't mind. Cool group you got going. Nice drumming and dance. Ye work nice together. Good to see some girls rocking it out.
Take it easy.

welcome, jessica. do you still play with the guys from tubab krewe?

I think she with the chx w stx now bubu. There altogether much better. Check out the tubab krewe. All fecking blokes with guitars and banjos. Boring.. Girls with drums a much better idea. haha

[Jessie]

I don't currently play with the toubab guys unless they roll through asheville for dance class. They are on tour and I get to see them randomly. But it was with four out of the five of them that we all began playing and performing african music together for four years in college.

As for my teachers, they all have different merits. And I can't pick a favorite. Its more like cross training.

Koumbana gave me killer traditional sangbahn and dundun lines with variations, and taught the hard stuff right off the bat, teaching me things before I even knew they were difficult rhythms. (first week kawa, mendiani, konkoba).

Bolokada is an awsesome stage performer and taught poise and presence and heart while playing as well as nice arrangements and standard rhythms and it is through Bolo's lineage that I would have to say most of my Guinean music comes from by studying with him while he lived in Asheville, and with his student Djibril while in Guinea.

Madou gives me long memorized arrangements and long breaks that are complicated and played at warp speed. He calls himself my "coach" and will show me what I ask to learn. Most recently chasse, a hunting dance from Ivory Coast and arrangements for Chx w/ Stx

And on that note, I really do like the gbegbe, timate, zaolie kind of music and dance arrangements that I learned from Tanably and Kevin Meyame who was from Man Ivory coast.

And Adama Dembele, madou's younger brother who now lives in asheville, is a solid Djembe player and arranger of music with Yolemba D'Abidjan quality and influence. Who is fun to play with, is a really good teacher and is my friend and will help me with the music as I ask as well.

[BobF]

Welcome Jessica! Do you ever make it down to Charlotte for any dance/drumming events? Fode "Lavia" Camara is coming on June 6th for some classess, I'm hoping he starts coming on a regular basis as we have no African teachers here any more..

Did you study the bala with Bakaly while he was in Asheville? You're so lucky to have played with him, such an amazing musician.

[Jessie]

I came to Charlotte a couple months ago with Adama Dembele and Djian Tie to help with their drum and dance workshop and have been there on other occasions for performances a few years ago with some of my old groups Ballet Warraba and Common Ground. But I don't frequent Charlotte too much.

I bought a balaphone in 2001 and took one lesson on Bala from Balkaly when in Guinea but not while I played with him and Bolo in Ballet Warraba. I was only into drumming then. But you are right, he was a truly amazing musician. Now though I started learning from my friend some accompanyment bala lines and its really fun. But its too bad I wasn't ready to learn a few years ago.

Maybe I'll see you in charlotte sometime but also think about coming to asheville. We have a nice little scene going on with dance class two nights a week to play for, and adama is here to teach and keep us straight.

[Amblerblue]

Hey I will be coming to Asheville at the end of February, around the 25th. Anyone up for some drumming? or know of a great drum circle?