Adama Drame: Rhythms of the Manding

The Mandingo country comprises north-western Guinea, the north-western part of the Ivory Coast, and the south-eastern part of Mali. The prominent ethnic groups in these regions are the Malinke, the Bambara and the Diula.
In the caste society of the Mandingo peoples, the griots together with the artisans (Nyamakala) occupy an intermediate position on the social ladder, between the nobles (Horon) on the one hand, and the captives (Dyon) on the other. The griots (Diely) are the repositories of oral tradition and it is their task to transmit it to their descendants. Griots marry within their caste (although not necessarily within the same ethnic group.
Even nowadays, the great historical narratives (the Mandingo Epic and the History of Sundjata of the 13th and 14th centuries are the best known), continue to be transmitted orally in the traditional manner, during an apprenticeship lasting several years. The griots were also genealogists, bound to great families who gave them their keep, and were commissioned to sing their masters' praises at public celebrations.
Many griots nowadays, both men and women, no longer have a lord or master, they are "independent," earning their living by singing the praises of celebrities at public meetings, weddings, baptisms and funerals. Many of them have lost all historic value as repositories of tradition and are considered as parasites by modern society. Nevertheless, so great is the power of the spoken word that they are feared, and there is no one who would chase them from his house for fear that his reputation would be immediately and irrevocably destroyed.





Adama Drame, son of a famous griot and musician, started to focus all his musical efforts on the Jembe (or Djembe) at the age of 13, gaining the status of a professional virtuoso in his early twenties.
The Jembe originally comes from Northern Guinea (Malinke country). It is not an instrument reserved for the use by griots alone. It is a drum made of hollowed out Lengue wood, covered with a single goat or antilope skin. One, two or three iron plates with rattling components are often added on the rim of the drum. In West Africa, the shape of the drum is very widespread, whilst the size, snare, and loudness varies a great deal according to the region and the individual musician.
The rhythms used are often of ancient origin and take years to learn, during which time the musician elaborates his techniques of expression step by step. A good player is known for the variety of his rhythms and an excellent one for the qualities of his improvisations. According to musicologist Didier Dulout, Mandingo rhythms may be described as typically African. The far origins of the basic structure of the Samba and Bossa-Nova can also be recognised in them. The frequent use of demi-semiquavers and sextuplets as well as the many different types of compound time make these often syncopated rhythms particularly complex.(from the liner notes)

01 Tom-tom call & Malinke Mandiani rhythm
02 Somo moriba, Malinke rhythm
03 Dansa, Bambara rhythm
04 Suku, Malinke rhythm
05 Kofli, Bambara rhythm
06 Sanja, griot dance
07 N'dri, Bambara rhythm
08 Kurubi, Diula rhythm
09 Sunu, Bambara rhythm
10 Jondon, captives' dance
11 Improvisation

Recordings (1976-78) and photographs: Bernard Mondet

Note: Since the original recording quality is very poor, and because the record has some bad crackles and scratches all over, I decided to clean up the noises (most of them are gone, the biggest ones remain as much smaller "pops") and then to remaster the low and high frequencies. The result sounds much better now, with more presence and even some nice "boom".
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Visitor Hamor contributed cover scans (front and back) in very good quality. Thanks!