Drumming
Introduction | Storytelling | Drumming | Doudou N'Diaye Rose | The Mandinka Epic | The Mandinka Story

 

"For African people, dancing is as natural as breathing and the music is always around, as essential as the air. "

- Eric Serra
(after arriving in Africa for the first time to meet Doudou N'diaye Rose)

 

Styles of playing

The styles described here are divided into several groups: Manding and Mbalax, based on the traditional music of the Manding and Wolof peoples and modern African and contemporary Western music. African drumming has heavily influenced by Cuban dance music and western pop.

Manding

Manding music is the music of the Manding (Mande) group of peoples, who were the inhabitants of the vast Manding empire 13th to 15th century. It stretched from the south of what is now Senegal and Gambia, and included Mali and the west of Guinea as well. Music used to be the exclusive domain of a caste of musicians, the Jalis or griots. Though this is now starting to change, this is still obvious nowadays. There are three main styles, related to a language and people of the same name: Maninka, Bamana (or Bambara) and Mandinka. The last few years, the Wassoulou style from the region of the same name is gaining popularity.

Maninka

Classical Manding music is called Maninka and has elaborate melodies and long-flowing vocals. The women sing praise songs, at weddings and the like. An example a Maninka artist is Ami Koita. The men sing for entertainment, so they front the bands that play in nightclubs and railway stations. Famous male Maninka singers include: Salif Keita, Kassé Mady, Sékouba Bambino Diabaté.

Bamana

This music features medium tempo and stark melodies. Some artists who perform this music are: Zani Diabaté et le Super Djata Band and Habib Koite. It's a very danceable type of music, in the vocals one can hear a clear Islamic influence.

Mandinka

This is sparkling kora music, with syncopated, punchy rhythms. Some artists who perform this music are: Dembo Konte and Kausu Kuyateh.

Wassoulou

Wassoulou music is named after the region of the same name south of Bamako in Mali, and the people inhabiting it. The Wassoulou actually are Peul (Fula) that have assimilated in the Mande region where they live. They speak a dialect of Bamana, but have maintained (many aspects of) their own traditions and culture. Wassoulou is not Jali music -they have no castes- but Wassoulu is based on hunting songs. The women usually sing; the men dance.

Mbalax

Mbalax is the Wolof word for rhythm. It could be described as Cuban dance music that has assimilated so much Wolof music that you hardly can distinguish its Cuban origin anymore. By now rumba and son are just a two of many foreign influences; others are, for example, western pop and reggae. But basically, it is Wolof music, using Wolof rhythms and traditional Wolof instruments, in particular the tama. The Star Band and its successors were the main force in Mbalax development. The prime example, and inventor of the term is the performer Youssou N'dour.

Afro-Cuban Dance Music

In the 60s, the most popular music throughout West-Africa was Cuban dance music. All local bands played big band music based on rumba, with extensive horns sections, and often with lyrics sung in broken Spanish. After a while, more and more influences from local, traditional music crept in.

In Mali, the Rail Band was the most influential band. Over time, it incorporated more and more Manding music into its interpretation and eventually also in its repertoire. Many current bands have the Rail Band members in their line-up, and many solo careers started there, including Les Ambassadeurs (Internationaux), the Super Rail Band du Buffet Hotel de la Gare De Bamako, Salif Keita and Mory Kante. They have all slowly moved away from the Cuban influences, and increasingly incorporated traditional music, and later also western pop.

In Sénégal and Gambia, Orchestra Baobab and Ifang Bondi were trendsetters in this. The Star Band and its offspring, in particular Youssou N'dour developed this music into mbalax.

Afro-Pop

The newer work of Youssou N'dour, Baaba Maal, Salif Keita, Mory Kante is classified as Afro-pop.

Youssou N'dour

Youssou N'dour is probably the most well-known West-African artist. He has earned world-wide recognition through his collaborations with American artists Peter Gabriel, Neneh Cherry and Branford Marsalis. The most distinguishing feature is his voice. His music has a strong African feeling, and a strong following in his home country, Sénégal. The texts always have (judging on the translations) a social relevance.

Youssou N'dour was born in 1959 into a griot family, in the neighborhood Medina in Dakar, Sénégal. He started singing at an early age--first at family gatherings. He apeared in a radio talent show (at the age of 12) after which he regularly performed in public. In 1975, he started singing in the Star Band, the most popular band in Sénégal in those days. The band was founded in 1960 as a symbol of Sénégal's independence. It played Cuban rumba, but soon started to include more local rhythms, instruments and eventually, texts in Wolof and other local languages. The addition of the indigenous tama drum with its characteristic cracking sound and its rousing rhythms finally turned their music into what Youssou coined M'balax (Wolof for "rhythm"). Youssou N'dour soon became the band's main attraction, and in 1977 he formed his own band, the Étoile de Dakar (French for "Star of Dakar"). A number of his colleagues in the Star Band followed him. The public attention increasingly focused on Youssou N'dour, which caused the break-up of the band Étoile 2000 in the early 1980's. Youssou N'dour then renamed his band to Super Étoile de Dakar. It became the most famous band in Africa.

Baaba Maal

Baaba Maal styles widely range from acoustic traditional music to high-tech Afro-pop. Baaba Maal is a Toucouleur from Podor in the north of Sénégal. He is not from a family of griots but does have close ties with traditional music. That's most easily recognized when listening to Djam Leelii, which he recorded with his "mentor and griot" Mansour Seck. After some years in a traditional ensemble, the Lasli Fouta, he founded his own band, Dande Lenol (The Voice of the Race). With this band, he has made several records, usually leaning towards Afro-pop. His last, Firin' in Fouta, also features an impressive list of (western) guest musicians.

 

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