30 Ans de Jembé

Album Review

The jembé (spelled djembe in French) is a large, goblet-shaped, single-headed hand drum from the West African nation of Guinea. Traditionally speaking, its shell is constructed from the trunk of the spiritually imbued lengué tree, while its head comes from the skin of a doe or antelope. A drum that has skyrocketed in popularity among both dabbling drum circle fans and dedicated percussionists in North America and Europe, jembés are now being mass-produced with fiberglass shells and plastic heads by a number of automated drum manufacturers. Under the hands of a gifted player, the jembé covers a wide sonic range, from high-pitched cracks and barely audible wisps to warm, low thumping bass tones and everything in between. Under the hands of distinguished jembé master and sixth-generation Dyeli griot Adama Dramé, these sounds are articulated through an incredibly sophisticated rhythmic vocabulary. On the CD 30 Years of Jembé, Dramé demonstrates his expertise and dexterity by way of laying down five exceptional tracks. "Expérience," the album's opener, is an improvisational solo piece that highlights, among other things, Dramé's creative bent and indefatigable stamina. The final cut on the CD, "Mahoka," features an upbeat triplet rhythm from Séguéla, Ivory Coast. Dramé executes this undulating groove with playful improvisations and vocal interjections for over 20 minutes. On "Kalilambe-Nioko-Badinaba," the CD's second track, Dramé creates a medley of beats based upon a marriage rhythm from Guinea, a circumcision rhythm from Mali, and a rhythm associated with weddings, funerals, and christenings. On this cut and track four, "Benkadi," Dramé is accompanied by Yacouba Dramé on jembé and Mamadou Diabaté on bass drum and wooden slit-drum. In sum, 30 Years of Jembé is a powerful set of tracks that underscores Adama Dramé's mastery of the instrument and his three decades of dedication to the art form.