Baye Kouyate Danama Self Produced, 2008
"Africa"
Baye Kouyaté is from Mali, and a descendant of griots, the storytellers of West Africa. This is his first CD. He plays the talking drum and he is a musician who knows how to make his drum talk. The drum’s changes in pitch tell a story, which the drummer could send to distant listeners long before the invention of the telephone.
The shifting pitches of the talking drum are the heartbeat of this music. They are the central force that moves the sound forward in songs that vary from slow ballads to uptempo ones. If you’ve never heard Kouyaté’s music, think of high energy wooden percussion interspersed with the jazz grooves of guitar, bass and drum kit. Kouyaté is a master musician who knows how to celebrate his culture, while at the same time being open and responsive to other sounds, such as Latin Jazz. “Africa,” the opening track, transports us into a world of rich rhythms as the balafon (played by Famoro Diabaté), kora (played by Yacouba Sissoko), djembe, and talking drum “talk” to one another. There is excitement in the playing, by musicians that seem intuitively in synchrony. Kouyaté describes “Danama” as a song, “about trust, and this need for it to find it’s way.” This is a lullaby in which Western instruments (guitar and drums) truly complement African ones. Here, Leni Stern’s guitar brings a sensitive, lilting sound to the mix. On “Danama” Kouyaté’s voice is confident and clear. The griot has come to life. He is focused and directed.
Kouyaté brings the magic of storytelling to his music. Even though you may not understand his language, his vocals have passion and authenticity. They are most moving in “One Day,” a song for his mother, in which a delicate flute follows his voice as he sings of how he left her to follow his dream of music, but longs to reunite with her one day. The juxtaposition of the ancient rhythms of Mali and the modern pulse of jazz make this CD a joy.
Contributed by: Dorothy Johnson-Laird for www.afropop.org
Baye Kouyaté is from Mali, and a descendant of griots, the storytellers of West Africa. This is his first CD. He plays the talking drum and he is a musician who knows how to make his drum talk. The drum’s changes in pitch tell a story, which the drummer could send to distant listeners long before the invention of the telephone. 