Mamady Keïta (August 1950 – 21 June 2021
) was a
drummer
A drummer is a percussionist who creates music using drum
The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel-Sachs classification system, it is a membranophone. Drums consist of at least one mem ...
from the West African nation of
Guinea
Guinea ( ),, fuf, 𞤘𞤭𞤲𞤫, italic=no, Gine, wo, Gine, nqo, ߖߌ߬ߣߍ߫, bm, Gine officially the Republic of Guinea (french: République de Guinée), is a coastal country in West Africa. It borders the Atlantic Ocean to the we ...
. He specialized in the ''
djembe
A djembe or jembe ( ; from Maninka language, Malinke ''jembe'' , N'Ko script, N'Ko: ) is a rope-tuned skin-covered goblet drum played with bare hands, originally from West Africa.
According to the Bambara people in Mali, the name of the djembe ...
''. He was also the founder of the ''Tam Tam Mandingue'' school of drumming. He was a member of the
Manding Manding may refer to:
* Manding languages, a language-dialect continuum in West Africa
* Mandinka (disambiguation)
** Mandinka language, one of the Manding languages
** Mandinka people, a West African ethnic group
* The Mandé peoples who speak Man ...
ethnic group.
Early life
Keïta was born in the small village of
Balandougou,
Guinea
Guinea ( ),, fuf, 𞤘𞤭𞤲𞤫, italic=no, Gine, wo, Gine, nqo, ߖߌ߬ߣߍ߫, bm, Gine officially the Republic of Guinea (french: République de Guinée), is a coastal country in West Africa. It borders the Atlantic Ocean to the we ...
, in the northeastern prefecture of
Siguiri
Siguiri (N'Ko script, N’ko: ߛߌ߯ߙߌ߲߫ ; Arabic: سِجِرِ ِ) is a city in northeastern Guinea on the River Niger. It is a Sub-prefectures of Guinea, sub-prefecture and capital of Siguiri Prefecture in the Kankan Region. Its population w ...
, near the border of
Mali
Mali (; ), officially the Republic of Mali,, , ff, 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞥆𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 𞤃𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭, Renndaandi Maali, italics=no, ar, جمهورية مالي, Jumhūriyyāt Mālī is a landlocked country in West Africa. Mali ...
. Keïta was a direct descendant of the king
Sundiata Keita
Sundiata Keita ( Mandinka, Malinke: ; 1217 – c. 1255) (also known as Manding Diara, Lion of Mali, Sogolon Djata, son of Sogolon, Nare Maghan and Sogo Sogo Simbon Salaba) was a prince and founder of the Mali Empire. He is also the great-uncle ...
. By the age of five, he had developed his own technique of tone, slap, bass and learned the rhythms of his village and was playing Djembe in all of the ceremonies, celebrations and festivals. Technically, his actual initiation to the
djembe
A djembe or jembe ( ; from Maninka language, Malinke ''jembe'' , N'Ko script, N'Ko: ) is a rope-tuned skin-covered goblet drum played with bare hands, originally from West Africa.
According to the Bambara people in Mali, the name of the djembe ...
started at the early age of seven, under Karinkadjan Kondé, elder
master
Master or masters may refer to:
Ranks or titles
* Ascended master, a term used in the Theosophical religious tradition to refer to spiritually enlightened beings who in past incarnations were ordinary humans
*Grandmaster (chess), National Master ...
''
djembefola
A djembe or jembe ( ; from Malinke ''jembe'' , N'Ko: ) is a rope-tuned skin-covered goblet drum played with bare hands, originally from West Africa.
According to the Bambara people in Mali, the name of the djembe comes from the saying "Anke d ...
'' of Balandugu, who initiated him to the secrets of the djembe. Keïta was educated in the traditions of his village, learning the history and music of the
Malinke people
The Mandinka or Malinke are a West African ethnic group primarily found in southern Mali, the Gambia and eastern Guinea. Numbering about 11 million, they are the largest subgroup of the Mandé peoples and one of the largest ethnic-linguistic g ...
. At the age of twelve, he became a member of the first regional federal ballet of Siguiri after Balanka Sidiki, a recruiter for the group, came to Balandugu looking for performers.
Career
At the time, Guinea was governed by
Sékou Touré
Sekou, also spelled Sékou or Seku, is a given name from the Fula language. It is equivalent to the Arabic ''Sheikh''. People with this name include:
Given name
* Seku Amadu (1776–1845), also known as Sékou Amadou or Sheikh Amadu, founder of th ...
, who put special emphasis on Guinean culture through live performances and a system of local, regional, and national competitions that recruited the greatest artists of the land. During the National Festival in 1964, Keïta, then aged fourteen, along with fifty other percussionists and numerous other artists, was selected by Guinea's Minister of Culture to form ''Le Ballet National Djoliba'' (The Djoliba National Ballet), which was intended to serve as a showcase for Touré's revolution in Guinea.
After nine months of training, he was one of only five percussionists retained.
He was appointed lead soloist of Ballet Djoliba in 1965
and, in 1979, became its artistic director.
He stayed with Ballet Djoliba until 1986, when he joined ''Ballet Koteba'' in Côte d'Ivoire.
In 1988, Keïta moved to Belgium where he worked as a performer and teacher. In 1991, he opened his first school ''Tam Tam Mandingue'' percussion school in Brussels, to be followed by additional schools in Europe, North America, and Asia,
each run by a school director personally certified by Keïta for his/her playing skill and teaching abilities.
Up until his death, Keïta worked as a performer with his group ''Sewa Kan'' and recorded a number of CDs. He also taught internationally, running international workshops in Europe, North America, and Asia, as well as an annual camp in Africa. He published a large body of djembe teaching materials on CD and DVD, as well as an instructional book.
[
He resided in ]Monterrey
Monterrey ( , ) is the capital and largest city of the northeastern state of Nuevo León, Mexico, and the third largest city in Mexico behind Guadalajara and Mexico City. Located at the foothills of the Sierra Madre Oriental, the city is anchor ...
, Mexico. On 21 June 2021, Keïta died in Belgium after being admitted to hospital with a heart-related condition.
He performed with many other djembefola such as Bolokada Conde, Mohamed Diaby, Amara Kante, Barbara Bangoura, and many others. They all miss him very much, Bolokada Conde even created a rhythm for all passed djembefola but especially for Mamady.
Discography
* 1989: Mamady Keïta & Sewa Kan, ''Wassolon'', Fonti Musicali
Films
* 1967: ''Africa Dance'' (with Harry Belafonte).
* 1987:
La Vie Platinee
'. Directed by Claude Cadiou.
* 1991:
Djembefola
'. Directed by Laurent Chevallier.
* 1998:
Mögöbalu
'. Directed by Laurent Chevallier.
* 2003:
Djembe Kan
'. Directed by Monette Marino. Publisher: Tam Tam Mandingue USA.
* 2005:
Mamady Keïta and Sewa Kan: Live @ Couleur Café
'. Publisher: Fenix Music.
* 2010:
Hakili
' (DVD & CD package). Directed by Thierry Villeneuve. Publisher: ZigZag World & CristalRecords.
* 2012:
Messengers of Tradition
'. Publisher: Tam Tam Mandingue USA.
Instructional videos
* 1998:
Rythmes Traditionnels du Mandeng—Debutant
'
* 1998:
Rythmes Traditionnels du Mandeng—Moyens
'
* 1998:
Rythmes Traditionnels du Mandeng—Avances
'
Djembe and dunun instructional VHS tapes, re-released on DVD in 2011. Publisher: Djembefola Productions.
* 2004:
Guinée: Les Rythmes du Mandeng, Volume 1
'. Publisher: Fonti Musicali.
* 2004:
Guinée: Les Rythmes du Mandeng, Volume 2
'. Publisher: Fonti Musicali.
* 2004:
Guinée: Les Rythmes du Mandeng, Volume 3
'. Publisher: Fonti Musicali.
Djembe and dunun instructional DVDs for beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels.
* 2009:
Guinée: Les Rythmes du Mandeng, Volume 4—Solos, breaks, techniques No. 1
'. Publisher: Fonti Musicali.
Djembe and dunun instructional DVD, focussed on soloing technique.
Instructional CDs
* 2004
''Djembe Rhythms No. 1: Diansa''
* 2004
''Djembe Rhythms No. 2: Djabara''
* 2004
''Djembe Rhythms No. 3: Garangedon''
* 2004
''Djembe Rhythms No. 4: Kotedjuga''
* 2004
''Djembe Rhythms No. 5: Soli Rapide''
* 2004
''Djembe Rhythms No. 6: Soko''
* 2004
''Djembe Rhythms No. 7: Kuku''
* 2004
''Djembe Rhythms No. 8: Mendiani''
* 2004
''Djembe Rhythms No. 9: Soli des Manian''
* 2004
''Djembe Rhythms No. 10: Yankadi''
* 2004
''Djembe Rhythms No. 11: Soboninkun''
* 2004
''Djembe Rhythms No. 12: Wassolonka''
br/>Djembe and dunun instructional CDs. Each presents a Solo Original that illustrates typical solo phrases and style for the rhythm.
* 2016 Anta! Available in Club TTM (TTMDA.com/clubttm)
Instructional books
* Billmeier, Uschi; Keïta, Mamady (2004) irst published 1999 as a three-language edition (English, German, and French), ''A Life for the Djembé—Traditional Rhythms of the Malinké'' (5th ed.). Kirchhasel-Uhlstädt: Arun-Verlag. .
Notation for over sixty traditional rhythms. Includes historical information about the djembe, biographical notes, and a CD with demonstrations of 21 rhythms.
* Keita, Mamady (2014).
Nankama
' (ebook). BookBaby.
Notation for 25 traditional rhythms and 47 rhythms composed by Keita.
* Keïta, Mamady (2016). ''Curriculum for traditional djembe & dunun'' (1st ed.) Tam Tam Mandingue Djembe Academy.
Notes
References
External links
Tam Tam Mandingue Djembe Academy page
*
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Keita, Mamady
1950 births
2021 deaths
20th-century drummers
20th-century male musicians
21st-century drummers
21st-century male musicians
African drummers
Djembe players
Guinean musicians
Master drummers
People from Kankan Region
People from Monterrey