Petit Adama Diarra & Diarra Kan

[bops]

http://www.wat.tv/video/petit-adama-diarra-kan-rept-152ea_12j8h_.html
http://www.wat.tv/video/petit-adama-diarra-kan-rept-152ep_12j8h_.html
http://www.wat.tv/video/petit-adama-diarra-kan-rept-bko-152bw_12j8h_.html

Petit Adama Diarra rehearsing with his group Diarra Kan in Bamako

...Very ballet-style stuff, but nice arrangements and playing. It trips me out a bit to see Malians playing Sinte.

[guedom]

Hi thanks bops

better quality from his own myspace

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&VideoID=25393819
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&VideoID=25320158
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&VideoID=25338477

[Nodrog]

Hi there,
That was great to see and hear. After playing bass in jazz bands on and off for the last 25 years I have an interesting question. To me, that was jazz, great improvisation, especially on the bala.

Here's my question: Have these guys in Africa been doing this for hundreds of years or is the way they play now influenced heavily from them listening to jazz from Cuba, Brazil, and other western countries. We all know that it all has roots in Africa but I was just wondering how much of what I just heard was traditional and how much modern?

Thanks for any answers, Gordon.

p.s. At the risk of getting in someone's bad books on this djembe site, I have noticed a similarity between some solo djembe players and lead guitarists in rock music. What I mean is that a djembe can get pretty loud when hit hard as can an electric guitar with a powerful amp behind it. From years of playing,(especially jazz),I know that one of the most important things is to learn how to listen and feel what's going on around you. Also, the gaps, where there is no sound. Sometimes, a very excellent lead guitarist spoils his/her talent by trying to be too showy and go 100% for too long. I see this happening sometimes with djembe players as well. This is fine I think in a single person set up but to me part of the art in a group is variation, some light, some shadow, not all highlights or there is a danger of cancelling one's self out.

Ok, now I'm going to run.Ha, Ha.... Gordon.

[Nodrog]

A quick reply to myself here.

I have listened to the the above videos again and I'm thinking how good it is. In this case, the loudness of the djembe may be due to the way the recording was made. Also,I love the sound of the bala and I wish it was coming through more clearly.

Great to see though, like the dancing too. Gordon.

[bubudi]

in the middle of his concert in sydney 2008, toumani diabate began an intro to his song, announcing:

they call it jazz...

to africans it's just music.

[Nodrog]

Hello again,

I take the point that music is music, whatever label we might attach to it but I'm still wondering: Is modern African drumming influenced by not just western music but also by technology, ie. programmed drums, AAAAGH !

It was pretty obvious that the young guy dancing had been influenced by American street dancing and so I'm guessing this influence might have an effect on the playing as well. Kind of full circle type of thing.

On a different but related subject. I had a friend who came over with his fiddle from Scotland. I took him to a local blugrass get-together/jam session and he was asking the local Georgia/Tennessee players for tips on certain techniques on the fiddle. I thought that to be interesting since that most of the bluegrass music originally came from Scotland and Ireland.
Thinking about it a little more, I'm doing just the same thing myself. I have played guitar for around 40 years and here I am looking at Congo soukous guitar music when the guitar is a relatively new instrument in Africa. This is the opposite to my original question I suppose.

I guess that is what makes the world go round sometimes, very interesting.

Gordon.

[the kid]

Is modern African drumming influenced by not just western music but also by technology, ie. programmed drums

No.

The styles which were developed over the last 50 years is what i presume you mean by 'modern'. All the Ballets developed performance pieces from traditional rhythyms. Like 100 years ago a certain rhythym could have been played for an entire ceremony or celebration for days(and still can be)). In the 50's or 60's the ballet's started cutting and pasting parts of rhythyms together to create a performance piece lasting minutes. Some rhythyms were traditionally played on 2 drums or 3 or whatever. these rhythyms got expanded with new bass lines or extra djembe parts after independence* which did inspire a huge development in the music of west africa.

you take a traditional mask dance or ceremony and it has a totally theatrical element which is highly entertaining with crazy interplay between drums and masks.
i see all the performance used by the ballets as being an adeption of the old playing rather than a new invention.

Tiomani Diabate who bubub quoted says that he is the 72 in a line of masters of the kora.I'd rekon this takes us back over 1000 years. Tha Balafon which nodrog was also wondering about is at least 700 years old. Do you think these African artists suddenly starting improvising in last 50 years. Me thinks for 100's or 1000's of years people in these areas were developing loads of instruments, songs etc etc and jamming, experimenting, improvising. Like they took it further than simply experimenting and entertaining and placed music and art in the center of theire culture.

RAmbling on/... Alll west african ethnic groups have there own language customs, songs and instruments. There are thousands or instruments all over w africa and 1000's( millions is probably more like it) of songs.West Africa is a totally special place for music, people, culture. They done this why? To be the coolest folks on earth

Me, i'm just scratching the surface but hope i gave you some new perspective on this music.

[Dugafola]

On a different but related subject. I had a friend who came over with his fiddle from Scotland. I took him to a local blugrass get-together/jam session and he was asking the local Georgia/Tennessee players for tips on certain techniques on the fiddle. I thought that to be interesting since that most of the bluegrass music originally came from Scotland and Ireland.

i'd say that bluegrass music has roots in UK/scotland/Ireland. similar to saying that jazz has roots in africa.

[Nodrog]

Hi there,

Yes, this is all very interesting. By modern African music I'm really meaning the last few years. In the same way the young guy dancing was really doing a form of break dancing. With today's technology it means that influences from not just the west but all over the world can filter back through to the young African musicians which not so long ago may have taken years.

I realize that the traditional style of drumming will be kept alive but I'm sure there is a new wave of African musicians who are being influenced by all kinds of stuff from outside Africa.

Reggae music is a good example. Originally a mixture of African, Calypso, Latin influences and now there are many examples of reggae in African music. Full circle again. Alpha Blondy being a good example.

Also blues, originally tracing it's routes back to Africa and now finding it's place back in Africa. Ali Farka Toure probably being the most well known influenced heavily by American guitar blues. Full circle again.

I'm sure there is such a thing as African Hip-Hop music using traditional instruments and if there isn't yet, there probably will be soon.

I guess in a similar way, the piano has a role in western classical music but also the same instrument in the hands of Thelonious Monk or Jerry Lee Lewis has a different effect. The same goes for the violin. It even changes it's name when used in bluegrass for example. Same instrument, different playing style.

I was just asking if this is evident in the world of the djembe. Same basic instrument, different styles?

Gordon.

[Dugafola]

I'm sure there is such a thing as African Hip-Hop music using traditional instruments and if there isn't yet, there probably will be soon.

already done...by african americans no less!

[Carl]

I've run across some West African Hip - Hop, it didn't really interest me, but I've found it on some of the West African Music (mp3) sites. (for some reason I want to say Calabash Music, but I doubt myself on this one)

If you poke around, you will find it.

C

BTW: the video above is from Mahiri's band Farafina Kan, Mahiri works with a few hip hop groups in the DC area.

[bops]

Gordon,

You're right, there is some influence back and forth in this music. It's a good idea to take a look at how it happens, so we don't start believing that Africans prefer our culture over theirs (not that you inferred that). From my perspective, Africans, particularly the elders, are very proud of their culture, but younger folks have a growing admiration of the cultural products of more developed countries in "the west".

I'm sure there is such a thing as African Hip-Hop music using traditional instruments and if there isn't yet, there probably will be soon.

Yes, there are a number of African hip hop groups doing this: Positive Black Soul, Daara J, Tata Pound, Les Escrocs.... In fact, Daara J, from Senegal, refers to the phenomenon as "boomerang music". You also hear musicians like Issa Bagayogo, who plays traditional kamale n'goni over a techno/drum n bass beat.

HOWEVER, I think there's a big difference between that and the modernization of jembe music. This happens through the ballets. For example, that dance move that you mentioned (the one that looks like a pommel horse maneuver) is definitely borrowed from break dancing, but not directly. That move has been around in the West African ballets for quite some time, so it's not likely that the dancer you saw in the videos above picked it up from the movie Breakin II.

Anyway, I think you bring up a very good point... the music is changing. It seems to be losing some of its depth. This is something I've heard the masters complain about when talking about the young generation of musicians.

[Nodrog]

Hi,

Listening to that Nankama piece above I must say I'm not keen at all but that seems to be influenced a lot by Jamaican rap or old fashioned toasting style. They even do a little Bob Marley towards the end.

I just love the big mix of different cultures around the word and as mentioned above, it is able to happen so fast today because of the speed info can now travel on a global scale.

On the other hand, it is important to preserve all the different cultures from the past. This in itself is probably difficult because none of it as ever stood still, it is all in a state of constant change. Even back in the old days, ha, ha. It just happened more slowly back then.

Gordon.

[bops]

Just one more note regarding your original question ... the bala playing in the second video contains some very traditional malian musical vocabulary. But it's set amid a relatively modern arrangement of drums. It's a weird juxtaposition IMO.

[bops]

Maikano: http://www.mali-music.com/music_mp3/mp3M/maikano_malisadio.mp3
Guerebou: http://www.mali-music.com/music_mp3/mp3g/guerebou_mali.mp3
Les Escrocs: http://www.mali-music.com/music_mp3/mp3L/LesEscrocsSaara.mp3

Daara J: