"Sir" Sidiki Camara

[bubudi]

some videos of frisell's group with sidiki. cudos to all the musicians. djelimady tounkara is also featured on several of these.


hard rain's a gonna fall


good old people


ron carter


sugar baby


nima dialla


nikan mogo

[diakardiadoumbia]

It's funny how time can change your own perspective.
I had been playing for a bit, lived several times with Sarr,
and felt like I had a clue as to what djembe playing is.

During one trip, I met Abdoul Doumbia's friend, Dian Koro, from Bafilabe.
He played a little for me on a djembe in my living room. After he finished I thought to myself...hmm this isn't very impressive. Nothing like the playing I had been seeing at marriages in Bamako.

Without me voicing this, Dian immediately felt my attitude, and made a very nice
adjustment to it for me.

He directly stated to me that he knows many types of djembe playing, not just konyofoli (playing for the marriages). That he also knows how to play in a hotel lobby in Europe, and in a concert hall, and in a smaller club, and in my living room too!. WOW! It was a lesson, and a humbling experience. That I could be so presumptuous as to judge his playing based on my tiny little bit of experience. It is a lesson that I cherish, a correction I maintain even now, and a tidbit that I would like to share with you all...for whatever help that may be in thinking about who is a master and such.

[e2c]

Great story; excellent points.

My personal take is that people tend to get tripped up by a lot of the distinctions you just made... overall musicianship/musical versatility vs. knowledge of traditional rhythms vs. certain styles of djembe playing vs. ... (the list could go on for quite a long time).

I think it is true of many - maybe all? - kinds of music, and all instruments, not just djembe and dundun. But a lot of us are at such a remove (even if we have spent time in Africa) that it might take a while for distinctions to become apparent.

otoh, people are (seemingly) always talking about whether this form of jazz is better than that form of jazz (choose a genre name to substitute for "jazz") and my guess is that they always will be.

[e2c]

bubudi, thanks muchly for posting those vids of Bill Frisell's band.

I appreciate the fact that Frisell is willing to give "space" to all his players, and that he is open-minded about different approaches to percussion (not having drum set, not even having a big battery of percussion instruments onstage, etc.).

I am very impressed with Sidiki's musicianship, and his style of accompaniment in situations like this one. He is doing a lot of things that resonate (no pun intended!) with me, in terms of doing partial presses/muting on the drumhead in order to get different sounds and tonal qualities, along with using his fingers, etc.

[e2c]

Oh, is there an egyptian tabla? I didn't know. We were talking about Indian tabla last january. And the complicated rhythms that come with it. I hardly know anything about tabla, (except that it makes me nervous) but he was telling about strange beats like 17/32.
This september I invited Sidiki to come to Amsterdam to give an advanced intensive workshop for a weekend. Can't wait!

The word "tabla" (used in Egypt) = darbouka. "Tabla" is Arabic for "drum" - just "drum" (in general), not a specific instrument, although Egyptian usage is different.

That drum has so many different names, it's not funny! (Derbekke, derbakke, doumbek/doumbec/dumbek, toumbelek, tempo [in iran]...)

...he was telling about strange beats like 17/32.

Some of the Arabic classical rhythms are like this, too. (Usually played on riq - Arabic tambourine; with the fingers on the head of the drum only, no cymbal work at all.) But I misread: i just realized that you were talking about Indian tabla.

And thanks so much for all the info., Michel - I figured he had been studying a lot of different instruments, or at very least picking up techniques from various styles from all around the world.

Besides, anyone living in or near Paris has very easy access to Persian, Arabic (North African Berber, too) and Antillean music in addition to all of the music from former French W. African colonies *and* Madagascar and... it must be one of the best cities in the world for musical diversity, I think.

[Michel]

E2C wrote:

[quote]Besides, anyone living in or near Paris has very easy access to Persian, Arabic (North African Berber, too) and Antillean music in addition to all of the music from former French W. African colonies *and* Madagascar and... it must be one of the best cities in the world for musical diversity, I think./quote]

I think you are right here. But some more info: Sidiki lives in Oslo. He must be one of the most northernly living djembefola's.

[e2c]

Very interesting - I would never have guessed that! (Oslo.)

[Michel]

Yes-amazing eh? He lived in Brussels for 15 years or so, and moved to Oslo. But in the winter in Mali. A difference in temperature of about 65 degrees..... (-30 Oslo/ +35 Bamako) So I can imagine that.

[e2c]

So can I! : )

[bubudi]

I appreciate the fact that Frisell is willing to give "space" to all his players, and that he is open-minded about different approaches to percussion (not having drum set, not even having a big battery of percussion instruments onstage, etc.).

I am very impressed with Sidiki's musicianship, and his style of accompaniment in situations like this one. He is doing a lot of things that resonate (no pun intended!) with me, in terms to doing partial presses/muting on the drumhead in order to get different sounds and tonal qualities, along with using his fingers, etc.

that pretty much sums up my thoughts on the intercontinentals. special props should go to the violinist, jenny scheinman. what an amazing musician. you can see how much djelimady tounkara is delighted by her playing, as are the rest of the band. she also wrote most of the songs.

i'll have to post a review on their cd in the media section.

[e2c]

I haven't followed Bill Frisell's career all that closely... but this lineup is tremendous. (am a fan of Jenny Scheinman's work, too.)

I wonder if there's a concert DVD in the offing...