 | Drums of Passion by Babatunde Olatunji
Buy used from: $4.94 Baba is the man who reintroduced African drums to the US. His work combines traditional Nigerian and more modern rhythms.
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 | Africa/New York: Ladji Camara, Master Drummer by Ladji Camara
Buy new: $16.99 / Used from: $4.94 Papa Ladji Camara was the first Guinean master drummer to teach in the US. A former first djembe with Guinea's premier ensemble, Les Ballets Africains
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 | Guinea: Malinke Rhythms & Songs by Famoudou Konate & Hamana Dan Ba Ensemble
Buy new: $16.98 / Used from: $10.99 Famadou is the god of djembe players. Former lead djembefola with Les Ballets Africains he and Mamady Keita are the gold standard for djembe players worldwide. Why doesn't Amazon carry Mamady's CDs??
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 | Sankan Wulila: Music et Rythms du Mali by Soungalo Coulibaly
Soungalo Coulibaly is the third great modern djembefola. This disc makes the hairs on your spine stand up.
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 | Mandingo Drums, Vol. 2: Foliba/Adama Drame by Various Artists
Buy used from: $14.50 Master drummer from the Malinke of Burkina Faso. He has many CDs, this is (to my mind) the best. A truly great musician.
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 | African Rhythm and African Sensibility: Aesthetics and Social Action in African Musical Idioms by John Miller Chernoff
Buy new: $17.95 / Used from: $5.24 This is the best English language intro to the deep aspects of W. African drumming. A classic and deservedly so.
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 | Drums: The Heartbeat of Africa
Buy used from: $99.99 Good basic introduction to the different instrumental ensembles of different ethnic groups in Africa. Highly recommended
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 | The Drummer's Path: Moving the Spirit with Ritual and Traditional Drumming by Sule Greg Wilson
Buy new: $10.36 / Used from: $1.97 Interesting discussion of drumming and philosophy of drumming in a US context. Note the comments in the review section re. women and drumming
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 | Drum Call by Nurudafina Pili Abena
Buy new: $15.98 / Used from: $7.25 Nuru was one of Olatunji's students in Boston. Another good example of first-generation US representation of Manding drum music. Check out the orisa songs and rhythms in the second half also.
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| Mandiani Drum and Dance: Performance by Mark Sunkett
Buy used from: $9.57 Useful musicological and sociological discussion of Manding drumming in the US among African Americans in particular.
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 | Mande Music: Traditional and Modern Music of the Maninka and Mandinka of Western Africa (Chicago Studies in Ethnomusicology) by Eric Charry
Buy new: $16.64 / Used from: $10.00 Eric Charry's masterful discussion of Manding music. Emphasis on stringed instruments (see CDs by Ali Farka Toure and Habib Koite) but a good section on drums too
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 | Percussions of Guinea, Vol. 2 by Various Artists
Buy used from: $26.22 Incredible ensemble performing at lightining speed. The musicians in this group are, or were all in the best orchestras in Guinea. Their other CD (misfiled under "Percussionists") is ASIN: B000001N6D
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 | Djembe: African Percussions by Various Artists
Buy used from: $55.31 |
 | Djembe, Vol. 2: Famoudou Konate by Various Artists
Buy new: $16.98 / Used from: $12.36 another offering from Famadou. Wassa wassa aye!
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 | Niafunke by Ali Farka Touré
Buy new: $16.98 / Used from: $6.58 Fulani-style guitar playing was introduced to the west by Ali Farka Toure. Note that the Fulani are not Manding. Nevertheless, to the western ear, the two traditions are very closely related. Magic.
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 | Ma Ya by Habib Koite & Bamada
Buy used from: $13.70 Habib is the man. Get this man's CDs. Better still, go see him live.
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 | The Healing Drum: African Wisdom Teachings by Yaya Diallo
Buy new: $11.53 / Used from: $1.93 Yaya Diallo does not come from the core Manding region. Nevertheless this book and the CD provide some useful background to the ritual meaning of Mande-style drumming
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 | Mandinka Drum Master by Mamadou Ly & Ensemble
Buy used from: $9.69 The Mandinka (from Gambia) are related to the Manding and play the kutiro drum ensemble. Modified versions of rhythms like Lenjen are often played in the US on djembes.
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 | Doudou Ndiaye Rose by Doudou Ndaiye Rose
Buy used from: $7.46 Doudou Ndaiye Rose is THE MASTER of sabar drumming. Check out his ensemble: Fifty drummers, men and women, all his relations. From the Wolof people of Senegal.
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 | Sabar Wolof: Dance Drumming of Senegal by Mapathe Diop & Ensemble
Buy used from: $16.40 There are many other sabar masters. Check out these guys and also (if you can find him, Assan Chiam)
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 | Immigrés by Youssou N'Dour
Buy new: $16.49 / Used from: $10.51 Sabar rhythms underlie a lot of Youssou's music. Check out this early recording. One of the greats.
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 | Juju: A Social History and Ethnography of an African Popular Music (Chicago Studies in Ethnomusicology) by Christopher Alan Waterman
Buy new: $28.00 / Used from: $8.75 One of the classics of ethnomusicology. Great intro to the sociology and history as well as musical foundations of Juju
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 | Juju Music by King Sunny Ade
Buy new: $12.99 / Used from: $10.30 KSA popularized Juju outside Nigeria. Compelling rhythms and music for those who like the Yoruba sound
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 | Drum Gahu: An Introduction to African Rhythm by David Locke
Buy new: $16.01 / Used from: $25.40 Thorough and inspiring intro to Akan-Ewe drum music from Ghana
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 | Master Drummer from Ghana by Mustapha Tettey Addy
Buy new: $16.99 / Used from: $38.04 |
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