JumbieRecords

Cameroonian xylophone adventure

There's a new African xylophone in town. A Cameroonian named Francois Nnang has been performing in the subways, and today Famoro and I (Raul) went to go visit him in The Bronx. He is a really nice man, and a wonderful performer. He gave us a demonstration of his instrument, which he made:

Here is the link for the video above:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gU1Cwwn0ENk

Then Famoro picked up the instrument for the first time. Here is the ensuing duet with Famoro (of Guinea) and Francois:

Here is the link for the video above:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QeubUMScvJ4

Xylophones in Cameroon can be large– like those in Uganda– played by multiple musicians. It is played by the Ewondo people.

Saakumu brings Ghanaian dance to New York

The Saakumu Dance Troupe, which is based in Accra, Ghana and is lead by Jumbie partner Bernard Woma just had a great performance at the Players Theatre in New York City. It was a wonderful show, and a rare chance to see this range of music and dance from different regions of Ghana. Here is a YouTube clip of their performance of Nmani, a traditional wedding piece from the Dabomba people.

Video of Metró Folk in the studio

Our intrepid kontra player Aron Székely has posted new videos of Metró Hungarian folk. This is from our recording session in Brooklyn at Pete Fand's new studio:

For more, click here

http://youtube.com/watch?v=-6j2Ute3vf8

and

http://youtube.com/watch?v=KnpDcYCagyU&feature=related.

Saakumu spreads the Ghana beat

I've been dying to hear about the Saakumu Dance Troupe tour. This is the first time Bernard Woma's Ghana-based group has visited the United States- congrats!

A blogger named Deier has written this about Bernard:

The leader of this group is my dear friend, professor, and peer, Bernard Woma who is my Ghana-father. Without him my experience possibly could've been as memorable but not quite as much enjoyable. He makes things happen. Upon returning to my school, I visited the International Education Chairperson and with her help, and the help of Bernard, I organized my next trip to Ghana however this time I wouldn't be traveling solo. Following an academic year of not only schooling, but budgeting, financing, advertising, trip planning, leading, and following, I led a group of 13 students and one 70 yr old woman to Ghana in 2007 for 26 days. My intentions were not only to return to a place that I had grown to love so much that previous year, but to share with others the wonderful things I had experienced. Most importantly, this included my love for the people.

For more, click here.

Also, UticaOD.com has posted videos and photos of the recent Saakumu show. For more, click "Students get into beat of African culture." Here's some screen grabs from their video:

Hungarian folk creeps into the East Village, Brooklyn & YouTube

The ...Na Hungarian folk group has been all around town these days, and here are some videos that capture the funky Hungarian vibe.

Banjo Jim's:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGT0Y2f2oIc

Vox Pop with Kata singing:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LDxm2xEKTIQ

And if that isn't enough to satisfy your Hungarian folk music video needs, you can go here:
http://www.cafetv.ro/kategoriak/nepmuveszet

African Unity Day: Libation, speeches and the nature of Afrobeat

A wide range of supporters of Africa gathered on Sunday 9/9/07 to celebrate and promote African unity. Many members of the United African Congress added their voice.

To see photos, click here.

You can also find several videos on YouTube, including:

• Sidique Wai, president of the United African Congress at the African Burial Grounds in New York City
• Pouring libations
• Rev. Dr. Samson Slobert discussing African unity
• Baba Jagun, member of Fela Kuti's renown band, giving his opinions of Afrobeat

Enjoy the videos!

West Indian Parade videos and pictures

Labor Day weekend means one thing in Brooklyn: The massive, massive Caribbean festival. Most of the attention goes to the Monday parade, which is understandable, given that 2 million or so people attend- one account put the number at 3 million. There are hundreds of photos online, but before providing links to those pages, I have to wildly praise Panorama, the steelpan orchestra competition.

A dozen groups face stiff rivalry and exacting judges to win the prize. Every group works all year, rehearsing several times a week for no pay, and they all achieve a high level of musicianship and showmanship. Panorama attracts thousands of people willing to pay $35 to get in—I have a feeling the high cover price means that fewer casual observers show up, so there aren't as many photos online. Each group is made up of roughly forty musicians, each accompanied by their massive instruments.

I took some videos, and I have to warn in advance that they're not the best quality. Yet I hope the excitement of the event shines through. Here are the links of different groups:

• Pantonics
• The Sesame Flyers preping to go on stage
• Pan Sonatas, this year's winner

Here is the official website of the West Indian-American Day Carnival Association.

And now some colorful links:

• New York Post photo essay
• Village Voice shows the glorious and not-so-glorious
• Gowanus Lounge (This is nice! It includes links to several flikr pages)
• Daily News photos

Video: Famoro meets Mamadou Djeng of Senegal

I use Dallam-Dougou as a way to take risks. When I met Mamadou Djeng, a ngoni player from Senegal, I didn't really know how it would work out. He joined Dallam-Dougou for our shows earlier this month, and I was really please with the results. Here is a video of him playing with Famoro.

You can also view this at YouTube.com/rauldougou.

Video of Kakande at Barbès

Kakande had a great show last night at Barbès in Brooklyn- two hours of pure energy.

Here's a video of the group performing Sosisa with Missia Saran Diabate.

You can also see the video at YouTube.com/watch?v=xruv_ij7F30.

Fight Malaria / White House Malaria Awareness Day

Below is an unbelievable video of Pres. Bush dancing and thumping a djembe with the KanKouran West African Dance Company (surely a first of some kind).  It was part of a Rose Garden event to mark Malaria Awareness Day.  (Click here for USA Today article)

The event was part of a major global malaria eradication effort (certainly a worthy cause) that aims to cut in half the disease's mortality rate in targeted nations: Angola, Tanzania, Uganda, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Senegal, Benin, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Mali and Zambia.

The mosquito-borne disease claims a million lives a year and is the leading cause of death of African children under age 5 -- but it is preventable!  Mosquito netting is a big part of the solution.

One place you can help MAKE A DIFFERENCE in this fight is by donating or getting involved at: Nothing But Nets (http://www.nothingbutnets.net/)

BUSH MEETS GUINEAN MUSICIANS (Malaria Awareness Day):

NOTHING BUT NETS (You Can Help Fight Malaria):