koungbanan conde plays kawa

[bubudi]

[Antoino Parker]

this is a great master at work

[e2c]

I'd like to see him go beyond those ballet moves and do more with the music... No slam on Koungbanan intended; it seems like he's capable of something beyond showy hand gestures, etc.

[Dugafola]

he's doing plenty with the music i think...playing and variating on a lot of tradtional kawa language.

but yea...his gestures and showman stylings are old school...

[e2c]

It's not just the gestures, though - if a person knows the music, they can (I think) do lots of the accents he's doing, as well as the rolls. Maybe I need to just listen to the audio without watching the actual clip.

And... maybe it'll take me some time to warm up to his style... am not generally a big fan of some of the old-school ballet style playing, really. (Or maybe it's Conakry-style playing that I'm having problems with? Not sure!)

ETA: It comes across much better (for me) without the visuals. Some of the phrasing is really nice, while other parts of his solos are just kinda (to me) relentless - little space between the notes. And I can see how that works for the ballets; makes things very high-energy. (I guess my bias toward Drissa Kone is showing. )

Re. the duns here: love it!

[e2c]

Another thought: I'd love to see and hear him sharing some space with other lead drummers. That would be very cool.

[Dugafola]

It's not just the gestures, though - if a person knows the music, they can (I think) do lots of the accents he's doing, as well as the rolls. Maybe I need to just listen to the audio without watching the actual clip.

And... maybe it'll take me some time to warm up to his style... am not generally a big fan of some of the old-school ballet style playing, really. (Or maybe it's Conakry-style playing that I'm having problems with? Not sure!)

ETA: It comes across much better (for me) without the visuals. Some of the phrasing is really nice, while other parts of his solos are just kinda (to me) relentless - little space between the notes. And I can see how that works for the ballets; makes things very high-energy. (I guess my bias toward Drissa Kone is showing. )

Re. the duns here: love it!

e, he's definitely not playing "ballet" style or even "conakry" style. if anything, he's playing "kawa" style. real Sankaran/Faranah stuff. that's how they play there.

check out this vid of Fadouba playing for Kawa:


i talked to famoudou about kawa last year and he said he can't play for the faranah style kawa (actual mask) because the phrasing is very particular. Fadouba is #1 for kawa IMO with Bolokada right behind him.

it's all good though! i can talk/watch/listen/play kawa all day. it's easily one of my faves...we're lucky that our local dance teacher can actually teach it.

[e2c]

Duga - thanks so much for posting that vid + further explanation. Watching the dancers = it all makes sense now! I also see what you mean about the style being very particular to the place.

I'm surprised that your local dance teacher knows kawa; haven't met anyone from PA who does (AFAIK - I'd bet that some of the dancers in Philly do know it).

[Dugafola]

Duga - thanks so much for posting that vid + further explanation. Watching the dancers = it all makes sense now! I also see what you mean about the style being very particular to the place.

I'm surprised that your local dance teacher knows kawa; haven't met anyone from PA who does (AFAIK).

no worries.

the dancer teachers name is Naby Bangoura who was in Les Merveille D'afrique in the 90s with the likes of Fode Seydou Bangoura, Fara Tolno, Mangue Sylla, Mamady Sano etc. he learned it from Mamady Kourouma, an old old dancer who's supposedly an initiated Kawa who got recruited to the ballets a long time ago.

i think moustapha bangoura danced Kawa in Les Ballets Africans. he's a big time teacher but doesn't teach it afaik.

[e2c]

Ah... you're very fortunate to have an accomplished teacher from Africa right there!

In this neck of the woods (and in Philly, too), most of the dance teachers learned Senegalese 1st; Guinea styles are kinda new to/for them.

And really, the music makes tons of sense when you put it together with the dance. (Doesn't it always?! )