Search - Famoudou Konate & Hamana Dan Ba Ensemble :: Guinea: Malinke Rhythms & Songs

Famadou is the man!

Christopher Fung | honolulu | 05/16/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"You'll get no argument from me with every last word of the last review. This CD is da bomb! Probably a tad more accessible to non-jembephiles than even Mamady's CDs, Famadou shows why he was the lead drummer with Les Ballets Africains, the most prestigious of Guinea's great dance troupes. This recording is made with artists from Famadou's home region of Hamanah in Upper Guinea. These are the deep roots people of the Manding heartland. And it shows in the music.This is a beautiful, clean, set of rhythms with funk and swing like a motor-scooter. Beautifully arranged and supported by the greatest set of singers I have heard on any Manding music recording. Check out Sirankurani (track 5) for example. Tracks 9 and 11 are great also but are not available here as downloads. All the tracks on this CD illustrate beautifully the way that singers, drummers and other light percussion (hand claps, iron scrapers etc.) interact in Manding music. The arrangements also have a very intimate "village" kind of feel to them, whereas Mamady's early CDs are much more "concert"-like.Get this CD. I know a number of master drummers who listen to this CD all the time. If it's good enough for them, who am I to argue?"

A seasoned grand master of the djembe

Jeffrey R. Webb | Huntington Station, NY United States | 11/23/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Famoudou Konate's current cd "Percussions et Chants" is an excellent addition to the audio collection of any lover of traditional Guinean music and the djembe. The recordings are clear which showcase the mastery of his technique. Konate has perhaps some of the cleanest djembe technique as well as an understanding and ability to communicate the meanings and feelings of this traditional music. He forgoes a lot of "showy" tour de force technique (which he is more than capable of) in favor of allowing the music to speak for itself through his masterful technique. Djembe lovers will find enough cuts that are solely djembe and dun dun to make this appealing, yet the cd is balanced with song and other melodic instruments to give the new listener a flavor of a cross-section of traditional Guinean music. I confess that I would like to hear more of him playing some wilder solos as he has some of the clearest tones I've ever heard come from a djembe.But this is a true ensemble performance and a number of other gifted performers are also featured. It is not surprizing that another current grand master, Mamady Keita holds Mr. Konate in such high esteem. If you thought you wouldn't like West African drumming, you must hear this recording, you'll like it."