Michael Pluznick » djembe fola

Who wants to play dununs and what is a djembe solo?

admin — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 15:24:08 +0000

In all my years playing, studying and teaching West African rhythms and percussion I have always come across an interesting and challenging situation. It is really hard to find people, that is to say djembe players, other fellow percussionists or drum students who want to learn the dunun patterns, individual traditional dunun parts and or ballet arrangements on 2 or 3 dununs or more. dununs are also known as djun djuns, doun douns or [...]

There are many kinds and types of djembe and African drum rhythms

admin — Sun, 14 Aug 2011 17:20:42 +0000

Let’s face the facts. Until Mamady Keita arrived in the USA we were playing djembe ass backwards. For example, Mandiani was more often then not being played backwards as Soli, (Donba in Senegal) or visa versa. We were doing the best we could at the time as there was very limited resources available in the late 70′s and very few instructors as well. It was prior to the internet and consumer cmcorders were still [...]

LIVE…Master Djembe Drummer Bolokada Conde and Les Percussions Malinke

admin — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 19:54:25 +0000

Djembe drum master Bolokada Conde and Les Percussions Malinke’s play traditional West African rhythms at a percussion show at La Pena Cultural Center in Berkeley, CA in 2006. Bolokada Conde, one of world’s best djembe folas (professional djembe masters) with Master Balafon player Mohamed Kouyate and talented djembe and dunun (djun djun) drummers from SF Bay Area

It’s not the drum it’s the drummer

admin — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 08:16:38 +0000

It’s not the drum it’s the drummer!

What makes a drum have that special sound? Is it the wood? The place or country it is from? The goat skin or what the goat ate? Just what is it? About 10 years ago I was at a Mamady Keita workshop trying to pick out a djembe from a local seller there who was displaying his goods outside the workshop. I asked Mamady, what do you [...]

Mali and Guinea West Africa trip photos of musicians, dancers and drummers

admin — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 17:52:25 +0000

function startGallery_2() { var myGallery = new gallery($("myGallery_2"), { timed: true, showCarousel: true, showInfopane: true, showArrows: true, embedLinks: true, slideInfoZoneOpacity: 0.80, delay: 5000, defaultTransition: "fade", textShowCarousel: "Show/Hide Thumbnails" }); document.getElementById("myGallery_2").style.display = "block"; myGallery.toggleCarousel(); } window.addEvent("domready", startGallery_2); Beautiful Balaphones

Two balaphones large and small from Guinea West Africa

Komoko Sano\'s compound in Guinea

This was taken at the late great legendary Komoko Sano\'s compound in Merveilles section of Conakry, Guinea, West Africa. Taken with Nikon D90 digital camera

Didadee drummers from the village visit Bamako for our

Didadee drummers from the village visit Bamako for our recording session and play amazing music!

Mali

Didadee drummers from the village visit Bamako for our recording session and play amazing music!

Mali Young Guns session

from the \"Young Guns\" CD field recording with Siaka Doumbia nad crew

MP in Mali

Michael Pluznick playing at wedding celebration outside of Bamako in Mali west Africa

Baby naming party

Siaka Doumbia and Young Guns crew perform live at a baby naming ceremony

drum carver

Our drum carver works hard all day in the sun and het on our new djembe drums in Bamako Mali West Africa

mali, djembe, west african, west africa, world music, ethnic music, village drumming, didadee, bobo, djembe, master drummer, djembe fola

Mali young guns djembe drumming recording session photo

Mali Wedding

MC the young master drummer plays dunun at Mali wedding party

mali wedding ceremony

more wedding photos and shots from Mali West Africa

Grand Master Djembe Fola Aruna

Grand Master Djembe Fola Aruna Sidibe listens to himself play on a recording \"Old Masters\" (available on earthcds.com) for the first time in Mali West Africa

Brulye Mali champion

Master drummer and my second teacher is named Brulye. He was Mali (Bamako city), champion of djembe drumming

Didadee

Didadee drummers from the village at a recordng session for Mali Music available on earthcds.com

Didadee village drummers

Didadee (Didadi) music from the village!

Aruna Sidibe, Grand master djembe fola

My djembe master is Aruna Sidibe 83 years old in Mali from the Music of Mali: Old Masters CD on erathcds.com

Bobo drummers in Mali

Bobo drummers in Mali play the gourd drums, bara bendre,

Bo Bo balaphone

Bobo musicians in Mali play the balaphone,

Bo Bo drummers in Mali

Bobo drummers in Mali play the gourd drums, bara bendre,

Yagbe Onilu in Mali

Bobo drummers in Mali play the gourd drums, bara bendre,

drum carver in Mali makes djembe drums for us

Drum carver outside of Bamako Mali making a beautiful djembe drum

Komoko Sano's daughter

Komoko Sano's other daughter

at Komoko Sanos compound in Guinea, West Africa

Michael P in Amsterdam fest

Amsterdam drum festival with Nick Ostis

Michael P in Amsterdam fest

Amsterdam drum festival with Nick Ostis

; I took these photos on my two trips to Mali and Guinea, West Africa where I studied traditional djembe, drumming, music, culture and African music and dance. Drummers photos feature my teachers Aruna, Brulye and Siaka. Guinea photos at the late great Komoko Sano’s home and compound.

Influential friends, african related drummers and dancers in my world

admin — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 04:28:08 +0000

function startGallery_32() { var myGallery = new gallery($("myGallery_32"), { timed: true, showCarousel: true, showInfopane: true, showArrows: true, embedLinks: true, slideInfoZoneOpacity: 0.80, delay: 5000, defaultTransition: "fade", textShowCarousel: "Show/Hide Thumbnails" }); document.getElementById("myGallery_32").style.display = "block"; myGallery.toggleCarousel(); } window.addEvent("domready", startGallery_32); the late, great Komoko Sano legandary drummer, arranger and organizer

the late, great Komoko Sano, legandary drummer, arranger and organizer

Bolokada Conde, master drummer

Bolokada Conde, master drummer performing in California

Bolokada Conde, master drummer performing in Mill Valley, California

Bolokada Conde, master drummer performing in California

Bolokada Conde, master drummers hands and drum

Bolokada Conde, Rafael, Michael P perfroming

Bolokada Conde, Rafael, Michael P performing with Percussions Melenke in Mill Valley, California

My djembe I aattained from Bolokada Conde

the late, great Komoko Sano, legandary drummer, arranger and organizer

Chris Walker Bata master and

Chris Walker Bata master and \"Omo Anya\"

Damien De Jesus, Balalowo

My new congas

Bolokada Conde performing in Oakland California

My largest Shekere

Karamba Diabate, master drummer, Griot and musician

Karamba Diabate, master drummer, Griot and musician 2

Karamba Diabate, master drummer, Griot and musician

Karamba Diabate, master drummer, Griot and musician 3

Karamba Diabate, master drummer, Griot and musician

Naby Bangoura Dance Teacher SF California

Manju, dancer, singer and musician-drummer, too!

Michael P and some friends in Bangkok Thailand

Photos of many friends and people I have learned from and studied with including the late Komoko Sano, Bolokada Conde and Karamba Diabate

Grand Master Drummer M’Bemba Bangoura “Djembekan” (solo)

admin — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 16:46:45 +0000

Master djembe drummer, master of ceremonies and all around fun and good guy M’Bemba Bangoura in a rare performance in his home town and country in Conakry, Guinee, West Africa at a large community drumming event welcoming home many of Guinea West Africa’s wonderful djembe masters and drummers of all ages!

Mali grand masters!!! djembe class with Brulye and Aruna: Mendiani

admin — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 22:31:01 +0000

Aruna and Brulye teach Michael P Mendiani solo technique at a djembe class at Centre Togola in the Sabalibougou district of Bamako Mali. Drum class and djembe class is held here every day of the week. If you want to study djembe in Mali, this is the place to go for a djembe lesson or african dance class. These guys and their students really play djembe well! Very inspiring drumming!

Mali: sweet Didadi music, drums and beautiful chants!

admin — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 22:17:10 +0000

http://www.earthcds.com/africa/west/mali

Didadi is a rhythm that can be used by young people to compete at festivals and celebrations. Didadi can be played for the expected arrival of an important person or at end-of-the-year holidays. Some say it originates from the Bougouni circle , of Mali’s Sikasso region. The didadi is also organized during the end of the year holidays. What many of us know as a dunun (double sided drum) is here called [...]

Amazing! Dazling Young child djembe SUPER STAR player solos at show : AMAZING!

admin — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 22:13:54 +0000

http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/arunabrulye

An amazing 6 year old child djembe drummer solos at Guinee, West African “Spectac” (big show in Conakry, Guinea). Music similar to this and other similar high quality digitaly recorded audio recordings I did in Mali are now available for sale:

http://www.earthcds.com/africa/west/mali