Fasso Foli - Billy Konate's new instructional DVD

[michi]

I got the DVD. In a nutshell, it's excellent. There are six rhythms, divided into level 1 and level 2 groups.

Level 1:

• Kalafedon
• Nafadima Nen
• Denaben Dunun

Level 2:

• Numuka Bolon
• Nanalen
• Soli Gnamalo

For each rhythm, you get a clear demonstration of the separate parts, similar to Mamady's DVDs, plus ensemble play. For some of the rhythms, you also get the track with four of the five instruments playing, so you can fill in the missing fifth one.

This is a really nice DVD if you are just past the beginning stages because it teaches these six rhythms very clearly. But it's nice for intermediates too: there are set solos for the rhythms that are played separately by Billy at slow tempo, and again with the ensemble. So, you get to learn new solo phrases. Finally, for advanced players, Billy improvises to the rhythms, and many of the phrases are not simple ones, so you can pick up yet more soloing ideas. (That part is very similar to "Akaran Iko Iko": lots of solo phrases, but no explanation or break-down.)

There are three tracks with a bit of material about Billy's musical upbringing and background, Mandingue culture, and playing technique. None of these tracks is particularly outstanding, but they nicely round out the DVD.

My one criticisms: there is zero cultural background info for the rhythms, so I have no idea where they come from, who plays them, or for what reason. Personally, I don't recognize a single one of these rhythms, and I suspect that they might all be compositions of Billy's. (If anyone knows anything about these rhythms, please let me know!)

Edited to add: I missed that the back of the inside sheet contains rhythm notes (French only), so there is some cultural background information on the rhythms after all. Five stars it is now. See here for a translation of the notes.

Overall, I'll give this four out of five stars. (With some background info on the rhythms, it would have been five starts.) This DVD is definitely worth adding to your collection!

Cheers,

Michi.

[bubudi]

thanks for the review. i've added the rating poll.

does the dvd have a title?

[michi]

The title is "Fasso Foli".

Cheers,

Michi.

[Dugafola]

is dennabe dunun binary or ternary?

if it's binary, it may be similar to FKs Lafe on volume 2.

[bubudi]

denaben dunun is binary. it's played for the same reason as denadon from mendiana area or wadaba/lafe from certain villages in hamana are played (i.e. before the mendiani/bundiani dance, with the girls sitting on the shoulders of a man), but it is not the same rhythm. there may be a version of denaben that is very similar to famoudou's lafe, but not the version i've heard, which can also be heard on 3 of mansa camio's cds (n'koke, and the ones he did with groups bruul and tolonba.

[Dugafola]

denaben dunun is binary. it's played for the same reason as denadon from mendiana area (i.e. before the mendiani/bundiani dance, with the girls sitting on the shoulders of a man), but it is not the same rhythm.

i know what it's played for and i know it's mostly binary...but not always.

thanks.

[michi]

Here is an excerpt of Denaben Dunun from the DVD:


Cheers,

Michi.

[Paul]

Sounds like the lafe I learnt but more spacious (i think it was fk's)... Which is good because it was a killer to play fast on the duns..

[Afoba]

hello everybody,
Billy changed some of the rythms, maybe he invented Nanfadima Nen and Nanalen (3 and 4).
But I think Nr.3 has been played somewhere once (or still is today), but in only one village, for Nanfadima (nen) is a name of a (little) girl. Nanalen (track 4) is a new or not well known Dyaa version to me.
Kalafedon might be modern, but not invented by Billy.
Numunkabolon is the Baro blacksmiths rythm. It's on our disc with Mansa, though with a different Sangban chauffe.
Denabendunun/Wadaba/Lafè are all the same, it's the "mendiani" binary one.
Denabendunun is the "real" name in several villages of Hamana and Gberedu, Wadaba (as I call it often, too) is the name of the song. Lafè is the Conakry or ballet or Famoudou name.
The fact that Famoudou made Billy play another Dundunba on the disc from 1998 than Mansa made Benno play on the disc from 2008 doesn't create a new rythm. I play the Sangbarala version that is even different. Billy changes the Sangban here and changes the Famoudou version from 1998 (played by himself, I keep repeating) according to the new Sangban's length. There is a more modern version of Soliba/Balakulandyan in Babila and Fissadou that sounds quite close to the shorten "Denabendunun" we have here.
Soli Gnamalo has one mistake on the disc: one ending of the chauffe is not followed by the correct dundun phrases. Sometimes even very good african players mix this up when they play in western countries and in some special circumstances.
I don't know where this rythm is played. I learned it in Sangbarala some years ago (I think, Billy too), but they told me it's not played there. The dundun can be played as a kind of long variation for the second ternary mendiani (gbundian/manamba/daba) when it's played for a dyaa fête (Fissadou). The sangban is the same in these too rythms.

have a nice time,
d

[Dugafola]

d,
is the soli gnamalo the same as solibasi on FK's hamana numun disc?

i learned that arrangement of solibasi from FK with gnamalo song.

[Afoba]

hello Josh,
I haven't got the disc here, so I can't say surely. But I know that it has already be taught under the name of solimasi or solibasi ("night of the soli(ba) fête).
It's /b s x x sb x /b s x x s bb/ bsb b bsb x /bs
is it the same?

[Dugafola]

hello Josh,
I haven't got the disc here, so I can't say surely. But I know that it has already be taught under the name of solimasi or solibasi ("night of the soli(ba) fête).
It's /b s x x sb x /b s x x s bb/ bsb b bsb x /bs
is it the same?

haha...i don't understand your notation!

by the way, i sent you an email to your yahoo account. did you receive it?

[Afoba]

/1..2..3..4../
b means dundunba
s means sangban
x means bell
gonna look...

[dleufer]

Hi guys,
Michi, I think you got a bum copy! The version I got gives cultural info for all rhythms!
Here it is

Kalefedon:
It is to be played after a good harvest. It is played for singing (for the work of singing?, in French "pour le travail du chant"), to thank the farmers or even when an important man comes to visit us. It is like the Kassa.

Numuka Bolon:
Numun is for the blacksmiths, it's the blacksmith's rhythm from Sangbralla. The blacksmiths are very important, they make djembes, knives, bells and pretty much every people need. So, at every festival, we play Numuka Bolon to thank them.

Nanfadima Nen:
It is the name of a girl. For this festival she wears a mask of an old woman and dances like an old woman. It is a pleasantry between the two generations.

Nanalen:
This rhythm is played before marriage. The young girl who will marry calls all her friends, the musicians, and, in the moonlight, they dance throughout the night. It is her way of saying goodbye to her friends.

Denaben Dunun:
It is like the Lafe festival. These are the rhythms which appertain to Mendiani. Denaben Dunun is a rhythms which is played just before Mendiani begins.

Soli Gnamalo:
Soli is very important in Guinea. It is the initiation of young boys and this celebration may last for 2 weeks. At the end of the festival, we play play Soli Gnamalo throughout the night.

Nanalen is definitely related to Dja.
There is more info on the DVD. What I translated here was what was on a 1 page leaflet that was in the DVD case. Billy also talks about Malinke culture and says a lot about Soli and also talks about Nanalen a bit.

Excellent DVD. I hope he makes a dununba instructional DVD. We should all email him pleading!

[michi]

Hi guys,
Michi, I think you got a bum copy! The version I got gives cultural info for all rhythms!

No, it turns out that I missed the notes on the back of the inside sheet.

Here it is

Thanks for the translation!

Cheers,

Michi.