Wamato Instructional/Performance DVDs by M'Bemba Bangoura

[bubudi]

produced by freemanic productions for magbana/wula, this 2 volume dvd is recorded in full hd video with separate mic, giving great audio and video quality.

the dvds cover the cultural background, calls, 3 djembe accompaniments (including bass djembe) and 3 dunun parts for 9 rhythms. the rhythms are then played at 2 tempos, with solos. mbemba also demonstrates basic technique and does an improvised piece (djembekan).

a few great extras on the dvds: improvised piece (djembekan) by the great master drummer laurent camara, improvised bala piece by famara dioubate,

also featured are drummers mangue sylla and ibrahima 'kolipe' camara.

vol 1: kuku, sinte, soko, guinee fare, lamba
vol 2: kassa, tiriba, dunungbe, mane, lamba

$60 for the set

the 2 volumes can be bought separately ($35 each) which is why lamba is included as a bonus track on both.

this should be available in the next few weeks, but you can order now!

[Jan >^..^<]

When I click the link, I get "page not found".

This worked for me: http://www.wuladrum.com/store/

[e2c]

Am really looking forward to these - it looks as if they've followed the same format that Michael used for his djembe (and dance) practice CDs, although the visuals add a lot.

I've watched all of the clips from these that they've posted on YouTube, and I like what I'm seeing. The ability to hear/play single audio tracks for each rhythm should be a big plus.

[bubudi]

yes, the production both looks and sounds very crisp and polished. for me the main allure is to hear laurent solo on the ensemble tracks, and see his djembe kan (also famoro's balakan). i don't know why laurent doesn't have his own cd out. tom and michael, if you're reading, take note! but am looking forward to observing more of mbemba's teaching style too.

e2c, i have a feeling you're going to love this set, since mbemba is indirectly your teacher's teacher... and i'm sure both laurent and mbemba's playing style will resonate musically with you. also, it has the bass djembe accompaniments you love, and some really good dunun playing.

[e2c]

Actually, my teacher's teachers are M'Bemba and some of the Camaras... nothing "indirect" about it. (Although he has studied some with Michael as well as Menes Yahuda of TTM, also Abdoul Doumbia.)

I like M'Bemba's playing style already (he has some CDs out ).

[bubudi]

please note that the dvd is still under production, so we can't rule out a delay yet (hopefully there won't be one).

for more info on m'bemba bangoura, see the interview with him that paddy did.

I like M'Bemba's playing style already (he has some CDs out ).

yes, those are good.

[bubudi]

has anyone here preordered these yet?

[michi]

Yes. I received email today saying that shipping will be delayed by a few weeks because the manufacturer is behind on the order. No big deal, as far as I am concerned.

Cheers,

Michi.

[bkidd]

Hey Michi (or others who may have purchases the DVDs),

Any update on the DVDs? I'll be in New York next week and was thinking of stopping by Wula to do some after christmas shopping.

Best,
-Brian

[michi]

I received Vol. 1 in the mail on 19 December (after a seven-month wait since I pre-ordered both volumes). Vol. 2 is still in production, but should follow shortly.

Vol. 1 has a total of 13 tracks and teaches five rhythms:

• Kuku
• Sinte
• Soko
• Guinea Fare
• Lamba

There is also a track where M'bemba introduces himself and tells a little about his background, a technique demonstration by M'bemba (djembe and dundun), two solos by M'bemba, a solo by Laurent, a balaphon solo by Famoro, a track with outtakes, and the trailer for the DVD.

For each of the rhythms, M'bemba gives a little background about the rhythm, demonstrates the call, and demonstrates the djembe and dundun parts separately. You also get a section that shows the djembe parts played together, and another section that shows the dundun parts played together.

There are also two ensemble sections for each rhythm that show all the instruments playing the groove together, at slow and normal tempo.

Finally, for each rhythm, you get a section at medium tempo and another at fast tempo, with M'bembe and/or Laurent soloing.

Sound quality is crystal-clear. You can clearly identify each instrument in the mix even in the ensemble section, and video is professional quality. Each rhythm is presented as a single long track on the DVD, with chapter markers that make it easy to navigate among the different sections. (I prefer this to separate tracks for each part.) The chapter markers are simply named "Chapter 1", "Chapter 2", etc. Naming the chapters according to what they present "Djembe 1", "Dundunba", etc. would have been a nice touch. (Many DVD players can display named chapter markers for navigation.)

The liner notes, apart from the usual credits, contain a page by Michael Markus explaining the recording process and why some of the parts as played by the musicians differ in some detail in places. (The bell pattern might be a little different, or a djembe part modified a little bit.) Personally, I liked this because it conveys something about the fluid nature of a rhythm, rather than creating the illusion that there would be a one-and-only definitive version.

The liner notes advertise a free download with transcriptions of the rhythms and additional notes, available from the download area of the Wula website 15 October. On the website, it says that the download will be available Dec 10 in one place, and Dec 20 in another, but as of today (28 Dec), the download is not available yet. Hopefully this will be rectified soon.

Didactically, the DVD has a decidedly "African" feel. M'bemba's demonstrations remind me a lot of my lessons with African teachers in Ghana and Mali. Little intellectualising, and more listen, look, and imitate. There is no mention of the downbeat, binary vs ternary, etc. M'bemba simply counts in the beat for each rhythm (at least most of the time), and shows how the part is played, slowly at first, then a little faster and adding the repetition to show how the "tail" and "head" of the pattern connect.

One thing I appreciated was that M'bemba shows sangban and dundunba variations for some of the rhythms and what they do during an echauffement. Many teachers neglect to do this (at least on their teaching material), so it was really nice to see this. If you watch the ensemble sections closely, you an also pick up more variations.

The highlight for me are the ensemble sections with the solos by M'bemba and Laurent. Both are brilliant soloists. There is a lot of material and inspiration here for the advanced player. I was very pleased to see that the solos are not just show-off "see-how-good-I-am" wara-wara. M'bemba's and Laurent's solos are tempered by experience and age, so they don't lose their musicality (although neither is a slouch when it comes to speed; it's just that they don't have to show it off all the time).

The target audience are intermediate to advanced players. I would not recommend the DVD for beginners for two reasons:

• The parts are demonstrated without a background pulse, such as a click track or shekere. In a few places, that can make it hard to figure out how the part sits against the pulse. For an intermediate player, that will not be a problem, but it can be confusing for beginners, who have a tendency to feel the beat where the first note of a part is, even if the part enters before a down-beat.
• M'bembe's handing is inconsistent in a few of the demonstrations. I had a good chuckle when I watched him demonstrate the second accompaniment for Soko (ka-didi). He first plays it right-handed ballet style (rlr), then he plays it right-handed traditional style (rrl), then he plays it left-handed traditional style (llr), and then he changes between right- and left-handed traditional style every other cycle (rrl-llr). Of course, because he is such an accomplished player, you can tell only by looking, not by listening. (The sounds are absolutely identical no matter how he plays it.) But, for a beginner, the handing inconsistency can be confusing.

However, I consider these minor points of criticism; once you are past the absolute beginner stage, say after three to six months of playing, it really isn't an issue anymore. And, on the positive side, M'bemba's demonstrations show that getting too anal about handing is a pointless exercise.

The djembe technique demonstration is not particularly useful. You get to watch M'bemba demonstrate bass, tone, and slap, but without any explanation whatsoever of how to actually produce the sounds. The only advice is to relax (which is good advice, but not useful for a beginner trying to learn how to make those sounds.) And, of course, because of M'bemba's excellent technique, there is no way tell visually how it's done; tone and slap look absolutely identical. (Again, I had a bit of a chuckle when I watched this—very African indeed )

The only other criticism I have is that the cultural info for the rhythms is minimal. Fleshing this out a bit more would have been useful.

But, overall, I'd say this is an excellent DVD and well worth adding to your collection. If you are an intermediate player, you'll get to learn five new rhythms (or new ways to play the parts if you know some of the rhythms already; M'bemba's take on the rhythms differs in a few parts from what I learned previously, such as for Guinea Fare.) If you are an advanced player, the cream on the cake are the solos. There is tons of stuff there to inspire you and to learn from.

Four and-a-half stars out of five!

Cheers,

Michi.

[bkidd]

Thanks for the in-depth review. Looks like I'll be picking up a copy while visiting Wula, assuming they have it.

-Brian

[bubudi]

i too received my copy before christmas. i found a couple of the menus a little awkward to navigate, and despite the overall high quality of the sound, there were a couple of issues, and the handing inconsistencies were obvious, but none of these are a deal breaker. there was one particular rhythm solo from laurent that stood out. the dunun variations were a great addition. i also give it 4 1/2 stars.