Workshop: Camp Mamadou Diabaté – Join our Day Camp of African drumming with the MASTER OF THE TALKING BALAFON! – MAMADOU DIABATÉ | Monday, February 20, 2023 @ 12:00pm – 10:00pm | $27.54 – Victoria Edelweiss Club,108 Niagara Street, Victoria, BC [AFRICAN ARTS & CULTURAL SOCIETY – ISSAMBA CENTRE]

For more information:

https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/camp-mamadou-diabate-tickets-478153789857?aff=ebdssbdestsearch

Event Description:

Mamadou Diabate is an award winning balafon master and composer born in Burkina Faso. His formation “Percussion Mania” is worldwide the only one with two Balafon as lead instruments. Their music is a journey deep into the heritage of West Africa on the highest musical level of arrangements.

Mamadou comes from a traditional “Jeli” family of music making and storytelling among the Sambla peoples. His professional music education began at the young age of 5 years old. His virtuosity is outstanding—some people say he would have more than two hands. Explicit techniques allow Mamadou to play exquisite balafon solos which create the impression that three balafonists are playing together.

Since 2001, he has released 13 albums. The album “Keneya” was the world premiere recording of the traditional balafon music of the Sambla people. This music is actually the tonal language of the Sambla people translated into music, a function known as surrogate speech. Musicians who don’t comprehend this language are unable to master this instrument.

Today, his unique line up with two balafon lead instruments characterizes Mamadou Diabate & Percussion Mania. That makes the project the only formation of its kind worldwide, different from all other West African bands. Musical dialogs and spectacular balafon duels between Mamadou and his cousin Yacouba Konate are one of the highlights of the show.

Mamadou Diabate’s extraordinary creativity is a never ending stream of musical creations, keeping his important and special culture and music traditions alive. Without a doubt, his virtuosity will continue to enrich our world.

Since 2001 he has released 14CD ́s. The CD “Keneya” is the world premiere recording of the traditional balafon music of the Sambla people. Mamadou’s “Balafon language” got recorded at the Dartmouth College where he gets regularly invited for a linguistic residency & lectures program. He collaborated with numerous musicians from various aesthetic and ethnic backgrounds, such as: Cheick Tidiane Seck,Habib Koité, Sigi Finkel, Wolfgang Puschnig and many more. Furthermore, he has given spectacular performances on 4 contintents at prestigious festivals such as Colours of Ostrava (Czech Republic), Global Village Festivals (Denmark), Saalfelden Jazz Festival (Austria), Ingolstadt Jazz Festival (Germany), Ice Music Festival (Norway), Tanz- & Folkfest’ of Rudolstadt (Germany), Afrika Festival Wuerzburg (Germany), Global Village Moscow (Russia), Rain Forest Festival (Malaysia), Fleur de Niger (Mali), Sufi Sutra (India) Jazz a Ouaga (Burkina Faso) Triangle du Balafon (Mali)

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