Born in 1950, master drummer Mamady Keita came from eastern Guinea, once a part of the vast Manding Empire. In pre-colonial times it also included large portions of what are now Senegal, Mali, Ivory Coast, Ghana and Burkina Faso.
At his birth, a soothsayer predicted Keita would become known all over Africa and even in “countries of which we’ve never heard spoken!” By age fourteen he was a professional, traveling around Guinea learning new rhythms. And as foretold, in 1965 a teenage Keita began touring the globe with the Guinean Ballet.
In 1988, Keita settled in Belgium and founded his own group, Sewa Kan, which means “sound of joy”. With half a dozen players and dancers, the group has toured extensively, including four trips to Japan.
Preoccupied with preserving a musical tradition going back to the 13 century, Keita founded a school, Tam Tam Mandingue. “It’s important to place the musical tradition in context,” he explained with his habitual broad grin. Here, avid students learn to play the jembe, a large, conical, open-ended drum with a head of stretched goat or antelope skin. And with the technique, Keita transmited the joy and warmth within the music.
Mamady was the focus of four documentary films and recorded several albums on the Fonti Musicali label. Mamady also wrote an instructional book, Mamady Keita: A Life for the Djembe–Traditional Rhythms of the Malinke (Music CD included) published by Arun and translated by Uschi Billmeier. The book transcribed over 60 Manding rhythms and includes detailed histories. Lastly, Mamady recorded three instructional videos (Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced levels) available in French with English subtitles.
Mamady traveled around the world teaching and performing; every winter he hosted two 3-week workshops at his private compound in Guinea.
Mamady Keita died on June 21, 2021.
Discography:
Wassolon (Fonti Musicali, 1989)
Nankama (Fonti Musicali, 1992)
Mögöbalu (Fonti Musicali, 1995)
Hamanah, with Famoudou Konaté (Fonti Musicali, 1996)
Afö (Fonti Musicali, 1998)
Balandugu Kan (Fonti Musicali, 2000)
Mamady Lèè (Fonti Musicali, 2001)
Agiatè (Fonti Musicali, 2002)
Djembe Master, (Nocturne, 2004)
Sila Laka (Fonti Musicali, 2004)
Live at Couleur Cafe (Fenix Music & ZigZag World, 2005)
Mandeng Djara (Fonti Musicali, 2007)
Hakili (ZigZag World & Cristal Records, 2010)
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.