Many thanks to Sher Music & Serge Blanc for use of his cover art for our background

Many thanks to Sher Music & Serg Blanc for use of his cover art for our background

This Volume of the Djembe-L FAQ is maintained for members of the list by HappyShel who would be pleased to receive notice of errors in format, typos, etc. Also, it would be great to be informed if you attempt to visit sites and find that they have moved, or consistently malfunction. The tag is of recent additions and is left up for a period of 90 days.

Performance Group Information

 

"ADAAWE (04/00)

six, dynamic women creating roots music of the drum and voice. West African rhythms, urban soul, and rich harmonic vocals combine in an irresistible high-energy performance. 

The African Performance Network (9/98)

Clearinghouse for African Performance maintained by the University of Wisconsin

Afrique en Scenes
     Extensive schedule of African performances - most in Europe - a few in US - (site is in French)
Annyè Folikè (2/99)

Paul Nas performing group

Balafon Women's Ensemble (5/01)

Delivering emotionally charged performances to audiences of all ages, Balafon West African Dance Ensemble is easily emerging as one of Washington DC's premiere contemporary African performance ensembles.

Big Bam Boom (2/01)
       Djembe group composed of the students and friends  of Jeff Sullivan - Bondi World Beat. We play for the heat and the beat.  Mainly environment and humanitarian causes.
Black Academy of Arts & Letters (12-00)  African American performances, book reviews, concerts, West African dance concerts, cabarets, Black Art, African American cultural events - in Dallas, Texas.
Claqueson

Home Page for this Percussion Group from Holland

Cosmic Rhythm Vibrations

"These contemporary drum masters: Babatunde Olatunji, Muruga Booker and Sikiru Adepoju perform with such precision and percussive elegance that the drum becomes more than a musical instrument . . . The beauty of Cosmic Rhythm Vibrations is simply that it is good medicine for the body, mind and spirit"--Michael Makowsky, co-author of The Discovery of Society.

Dahui (01/04)

Dahui, Ensemble du Rhythm, is an interactive experience engaging the audience in a rhythmic dialog. This Chicago based percussion ensemble performs original arrangements of traditional West African rhythms and songs, as well as fully original works. The instrumentation in the ensemble is Jembe, dounoun, bells, kirin, gongoma, triangle, didjeridu, and vocals.  The members of Dahui are Bill Miller, Rick Neuhaus, Michael Taylor, and John Yost.
For booking and upcoming performances contact: John: 773-802-0605 Taylor: 708-763-8633 or email

David Gildens Cora Connection (5/99)

David Gilden and Banning Eyre of the Boston-based West African folk ensemble Cora Connection present one of the richest and most surprising cultural legacies of Africa--the music and folklore of the Mandinka Empire.  

Djembasic (10/02)
            A new Dutch group who performs, does workshops and shares the great culture of djembe

Drum Gods (9/99)

an eclectic percussion and dance ensemble featuring rhythms from West Africa, Middle Eastern and Latin Musical Traditions; complete with costume and parade dragons interacting with audience participation. We create energy and fun wherever we go, turning spectators into performers. Our Finale includes a community interactive drum circle.

Drum Gods at Burning Man (9/99)
        Each year, DrumGods has a theme camp at Burning Man and support the ritual infrastructure of Burning Man, including the nightly fire cauldron and the LampLighters. For more information on how to join, just stop in at the web site.

Master Drummer Aliou Diouf Homepage

Ballet Sangamar is led by Master drummer and choreographer Aliou Diouf of Senegal, West Africa, who has been performing internationally for over 25 years.

"Djembe - Percussion d'Afrique" (5/99)

        The performers of WOFA are the uncontested champions of Wassakhoumba, the Soso name for an instrument made of small calabash discs of ever-decreasing diameters, strung onto a piece of curved wood. Shaken, the discs rattle together to produce a high-pitched sound that is used as    initiation chant rhythm accompaniment in Basse-Côte, Guinea. Ancient Baga and Soso animist tradition has it that playing the Wassakhoumba purified the area reached by its sound. Uninitiated children and adolescents were forbidden to touch the sacred object—if they dared to, the discs would break! And if an uncircumcised child touched the Wassakhoumba, he would have to be circumcised without delay.

Djembe Rhythm - Senegal (01/04)

 Welcome to the DJEMBE RHYTHM web site
DJEMBE RYTHM is a Senegalese percussion and traditional dance group

DrumCulture (07/06)- The home of West African drums, dancing and music; welcome to DRUMCULTURE. Operating a Cultural Music School in The Gambia, Drumculture was created several years ago and is now run by a group of dedicated and enthusiastic musicians from the UK, Gambia, Guinea and other West African countries. Its roots stem from a love of traditional African drums and dance, particularly from the Mandingue (or Malinke) culture.

Fankani

West African Dance and Percussion Group - based in the Netherlands

Fore-Fote - Music and Dance in Black White (11/99)

       Master Drummer M. Lamine Dibo Camara's professional touring group inter-twining the sacred traditions of Guinea, West Africa with the excitement and drama of the modern stage. Check website at for performance listing, calendar, photo gallery of past performances and real audio of the "Wonbere CD".

40 Fingers Percussion Ensemble (5/99) 

Many Hands Home Page (7/98)

New Zealand based percussion oriented group's home page.

Baaba Maal Web Site with Sound (10/98)

KUSUM GBOO DANCE ENSEMBLE (04/03)

Kusum Gboo Dance Ensemble is a Pan African Dance company based in Accra; the capital city of Ghana (West Africa). The group performs traditional African music and dance alongside their own creative and choreographed dance pieces. This website will enable us to reach all of you who are interested in our work. If you would like frequent updates on our performances, CD-releases etc., please feel free to join our MailList. Join our mailing list!

Especially we enjoy sharing moments with you as we are now on our great 2003 Europe tour which started in Holland in February and ends in Austria in June

  Kekuja African Percussion (11/99)

 Les Ballets Africains (01/04)

         the group will be touring north America from February 10 to April 19/2004. You can see the tour schedule on the website, for any information please contact the managing director Mamoudou Conde at: Tel: #608-206-0664 Email: mamoudou@aol.com or mamoudou@lesballetsafricains.com

Les Percussions de Guinee (03/00)
         2000-01 World tour

Magbana (04/03)

Magbana Drum and Dance NYC was established as a professional company in 1997 by artistic director Michael Markus. It is his vision to entertain and educate people from all cultural backgrounds and ages about the power of the drum and the movement it inspires. Magbana believes that music and dance transcends the boundaries of race and class as well as promotes diversity. Titled after the Guinean nickname for taxi, Magbana has audiences jumping out of their seats at a variety of venues from the east coast through the mid-west. The ensemble has performed a places such as Midwest Drum & Dance Festival in Selma, IN, The American Museum of Natural History in NYC, The Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning in Jamaica, NY , The Kitchen in NYC, Ohio Teen Institute in Gambier Ohio, and U.S. Army Corp of Engineers in NYC to name a few.

Mogobalu

Mamady Keita's West African Performance Group (in French)

NAKIRI (8/98)

Dutch percussion and dance group, Wageningen, The Netherlands

Nana Adomako Nyamekye (2/99)

The thought that rhythm and sound is at the heart beat of Africans couldn’t have received a better meaning as exemplified in the life of Netherlands-based Ghanaian musician, Nana Kwame Adomako Nyamekye.

NYABINGHI DRUM ENSEMBLE (12/02) - Presents African drumming ceremonies, rites of passage and after-school drumming.  Be sure to tell them, Djembe-L FAQ sent you.
Palms Down (09/02)

Palms Down is a group of African-American percussionists, based in New York, who have studied West African rhythms as well as those of other African-based cultures. Our goal is to provide a source for traditional West African rhythms as well as our own blend of Afro-cultural music. Our CDs are designed to be used as a source of pure listening pleasure as well as accompaniment for teachers, dancers and choreographers. Hand drummers will also benefit from length of the tracks to help them practice their group and solo techniques.

Ernest Ranglin CD (10/98)

"In Search of the Lost Riddim"

Peter Batty's SKIN TO SKIN

Performance group based in UK -

Pete Lockett (9/00)

Pete Lockett is one of the most versatile multi-percussionists currently in the UK, having immersed himself in percussion and drums from every part of the globe. The wide range of artists he’s worked with reflects the diversity of his playing. He has recorded and / or toured with:
Björk, Afro-Celt Sound System, Nitin Sawhney, Bill Bruford, Natacha Atlas, Texas, Trans-Global Underground, Mel C, Bedlam, Beth Orton, Edwyn Collins, Trevor Jackson, Craig Armstrong, Adrian Sherwood/On-U-Sound, Kula Shaker, Vanessa-Mae, David Arnold, Evelyn Glennie, Errol Brown, Rory Gallagher, Gary Husband, Pet Shop Boys, Junior Delgado, The Aloof, David Toop, Lowell Fulson, Joji Hirota, A R Rahman, Luke Vibert, Eumir Deodato, Andy Gangadeen, Steve White, Youth of Killing Joke, B J Cole, Catriona MacDonald and more!

SASHEI (07/04)

African-inspired dance and drum ensemble from Macon, GA USA

Sound Samples (10/98)

T.H.E. Percussion Choir

Performance group led by Chuck Cogliandro focusing on songs and Rhythm's of West Africa.

 

HappyShel with Link additions or corrections ©copyright 1998, 2004. Djembe-L FAQ.  All Rights Reserved. Last revised: 06/01/2008