New Mamady DVD!

[Carl]

Looks great, breaks and solos and a few tunes I haven't heard of!

Right now Rhythm Traders seems to be the only place to get it, please chime in if you find it elsewhere...

MAMADY KEITA: "Solos, Breaks, and Techniques"
NEW DVD! JUST RELEASED! The 4th in the "Rythmes du Mandeng" Series, this is a gold mine for signature Mamady Keita style, phrasing, breaks, and solos. These are up-to-the minute techniques that he is playing and teaching right now. Rhythms include Abondon, Dibon, Djagbe, Fe, Matoto, Soliwulen, Takoworo, Wassolonka, and Zaouli 1-4 breaks. Bonus features include a 17 minute Rhythm Pyramid, a 14 minute Dununba in Matam, and others. Don't forget to pick your jaw off the floor after you see this for the first time, and be prepared to spend years learning the material. It is very dense indeed!

Carl

[admin's note: click here to see the front cover and more detailed summary.]

[michi]

Sounds awesome! I'll hold off buying it right now because Rhythm Traders charge $22.00 for shipping to Australia (which is ridiculous, seeing that the actual postage is about $5). I'll pick up a copy when I'm in San Diego for Mamady's workshop.

First person here to get a copy, would you post a review please? (Although, I suspect it'll be simply excellent, period )

Cheers,

Michi.

[e2c]

michi, you *should* be able to get it either from the TTM US site or else from Drumskull. TTM US generally stocks things well before they make it into the stores, and their shipping is (I think) less costly.

[michi]

Thanks for the suggestion but I just checked, and the new DVD is not listed on TTM USA, Mamady's website, or Drumskull's website. I guess I'll just have to be patient

But I'm buggered if I'm going to pay $22 for shipping to Australia when the real cost is around $5. And, please, don't anyone tell me that there are extra costs involved in shipping things because, with Rhythm Traders, shipping a DVD to any destination in the USA is free. So $22 is simply a rip-off...

Cheers,

Michi.

[Paul]

Im interested,
But is it the full picture, are there sanban variations, chauffs etc..

[steady]

well guys... yes it's a great DVD apparently and I will have my copy in the coming days.
Michi, I will be selling Mamady's products in Australia pretty soon so I can also get you
one of those DVDs within the coming weeks. (Gives you a headstart before flying to San Diego, mate)
By the way on another note my good friend and mentor Mohamed Bangoura alias Bangourake is also featuring on the DVD.
He actually plays in Mamady's group for the DVD such an honour!
Happy Drumming always!
Steady

[michi]

Michi, I will be selling Mamady's products in Australia pretty soon so I can also get you
one of those DVDs within the coming weeks. (Gives you a headstart before flying to San Diego, mate)

.

Thanks Freddy! I take it you'll have something on your website about this? I'll check back periodically.

Cheers,

Michi.

[steady]

Well Drum brothers,

I have seen most of it with Mamady Keita together and it's very good.
Mamady is currently doing a Australian Workshop tour and we are currently in Melbourne.
Such an honour to host the Grand Master again.

Anyway, back to the DVD! Nice techniques and breaks. Great bonus material as well.
As Mamady told me the DVD is more for the advanced and professional players.
Unfortunately there has been some issues with the navigation of the DVD that needs to be sorted out. So I could not go through everything. Other than that it is a great addition for all folas around.

So Michi, sorry mate I guess you will have to pick up a NTSC version in San Diego when you're there in October.
I am sure you will get it signed

Happy Drumming,
Steady

[Dugafola]

wow! he signs autographs??!!

[michi]

So Michi, sorry mate I guess you will have to pick up a NTSC version in San Diego when you're there in October.
I am sure you will get it signed

Thanks for the update Freddy! I'll try and get a signature, may into return for a beer bribe

Cheers,

Michi.

[steady]

wow! he signs autographs??!!

Yes Duga, he does sign autographs in Australia.
He might even do it in the USA.

[Garvin]

That sounds awesome...

I just ordered (and recieved) the first 3 from Drumskulls. Didn't know there was a fourth. Such a great tool for those of us without direct access to teachers. The quality of all of these recent instructional DVD's is awesome as well. I got Bangourake's second one and am loving it. Great production quality, and explanation of the meaning and purpose of the rhythms as well.

I will definitely pickup the fourth as soon as possible.

[michi]

Just got my copy of Volume 4. Highly recommended! For each rhythm, you get the background and basic parts (not broken down as in Vol. 1-3, but played with successive entries: sangban, kenkeni, dundunba, djembe 1, djembe 2, djembe 3).

Each rhythm has several solos played by different soloists besides Mamady. (Soloists are Mohamed "Bangouraké" Bangoura, Babara Bangoura, Monette Marino Keïta, and Kahlil Cummings.) For some of the rhythms, you get fairly complex intros and breaks.

There is no break-down of handing or explanations of any kind, so you have to be able to pick things up just by looking and listening. If you are an intermediate to advanced player, that's fine; the video is very clear, so it's easy to pick up the handing, and the sound is good quality too, so you can easily identify individual djembes. (This is definitely not a DVD for beginners.) Solo phrases are moderately complex, so you don't need to be a speed wizard to learn them.

Rhythms on the DVD:

• Abondan
• Dibon
• Djagbe
• Fè 3
• Matoto
• Soliwulen
• Takoworo
• Wassolonka
• Zaouli 1, 2, 3, 4

Bonus material consists of four documentaries. One shows a dundunba in Conakry, one presents scenes from ceremonies in Balandugu with some very nice mask dances, one is a documentary/interview with Mamady about the 2007 tour that went to Balandugu to perform the pyramid of rhythms there, and on documentary shows scenes from a celebration at which Mamady's brother Fadjimba was present. (Fadjimba died in April 2008.)

Overall, this is an outstanding DVD. Highly recommended if you want to look for new solo material as well as for the documentaries.

Cheers,

Michi.

[bubudi]

thanks very much for that, michi. where did you buy your copy?

in the first three volumes, there are traditional solos embedded into a few of the rhythms where the hands are zoomed in to clearly show handing. is this also happening in at least some of the solos on vol. 4?

mahiri edwards' adopted name is fadjimba keita. i didn't know he is mamady's brother's namesake.

[michi]

thanks very much for that, michi. where did you buy your copy?

I got my copy from the TTM web site. I figure they deserve all the support they can get...

in the first three volumes, there are traditional solos embedded into a few of the rhythms where the hands are zoomed in to clearly show handing. is this also happening in at least some of the solos on vol. 4?

Hands aren't fully zoomed in but, for all the solos, you get a clear view of the player. I have no problems picking out the handing for the solos.

mahiri edwards' adopted name is fadjimba keita. i didn't know he is mamady's brother's namesake.

I didn't know that either. It was only when I watched volume 4 that I realised that Fadjimba is the same brother who has the conversation with Mamady about his childhood near the end of Djembefola. Sad to hear that he died. He didn't look very old in the footage taken in 2007...

Cheers,

Michi.