Yaya Diallo Interrupts the Silence

Introduction

Very often I'm asked to write articles on the subject of drum
music. During my 20 years of experience as an instructor of drumming
and dance in Africa, Europe, Asia, U.S.A., Canada and the Antilles I
always avoided the ambiguous subjects. One day I said to
myself, "Enough, it's enough! Stop the massacre." I have
my share of responsibility and guilt in the tragedy that we are
living today regarding African percussion. I am going to write a
series of articles with the frankness and honesty of style for which
I am known. I assure you there will be tears and grinding of teeth
over some of the reading. Too bad for the lame ducks!

The following is a list of subjects to be covered:

1. Djembe and Djembefola
2. The Djembe Gangsters
3. Percussion and AIDS
4. The Drum Mafia
5. Percussion and African dance – A Deaf Dialogue
6. African Percussion and Racism
7. Miscellaneous Questions

Note: Do not count on me for a request to offer a public apology or
to take back my statements. This will never happen.

To all who are listening … Greetings!

NB: Yaya Diallo's introduction to the forthcoming series of
articles is translated from the original French to English by Stephen
Conroy, Producer, Onzou Records, http://www.onzou.com .)

Onzou Records will be making the above articles available on a site
created for news, articles, and communication with Yaya Diallo at
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/yaya_diallo .

FREE COPY OF YAYA DIALLO'S UPCOMING ALBUM LIVE AT CLUB SODA – OFFER VALID ONLY DURING AUGUST 2003:

Internet record distributor CD Baby is promoting a compilation CD
comprising of the top 100 sellers for the month of August. In return
for your support, Onzou Records is making a FREE offer of Yaya
Diallo's upcoming album Live at Club Soda planned for release in
Oct-Nov, 2003.

Puchase Yaya Diallo's classic debut instrumental album Nangapè
of African drumming, balafon and flute music at CD Baby,
http://www.cdbaby.com/yayadiallo , during the month of August and
send an email to Onzou Records, info@onzou.com, notifying us before
September of your participation in this offer and we will send you a
copy of Yaya Diallo's new album Live at Club Soda absolutely FREE
upon it's release!

Elder Yaya Diallo, master drummer, musician, singer, composer,
teacher, author and tour guide to Mali, West Africa will release his
upcoming album Live at Club Soda recorded in 1989 with his band
Kanza. This album features saxophone, electric violin, bass and lead
guitars, drum set, vocals and traditional African drums.with a sound
reminiscent of 1950's rock-n-roll and blues.

Live at Club Soda Free Offer valid only during the month of August,
2003 in conjunction with a purchase of Yaya Diallo's Nangapè
album through CD Baby.

Order now at CD Baby, http://www.cdbaby.com/yayadiallo .

Thank you.

Stephen

Yaya Diallo’s band Kanza presents a genre of music relatively new in African culture on his upcoming album Live at Club Soda. The following excerpt from the liner notes gives some background:

Kanza is a very new concept within the Minianka musical culture. … This kind of music is a mix of the past and the present. It lets the door open for the future. …

The professions and the social values change. It is more and more difficult to motivate the young people today with ancestral songs. It is time to create a new style of music which can reconcile the elders and the young people. In the 50’s, people from the villages of Djélé, N’Tosso and Nampropéla created the concept of KANZA. Groups of workers and farmers decided to mix the ancestral music with the music of young people.

New musical ensembles are born in Miniankala. “Samba The Trucker” is a good example of this new era. To be a trucker is a new profession for us in Africa, so that needs a new music.

So, what’s new?

The new elements of Kanza are:
- The speed of the music, you have to play fast.
- The mix of different kinds of sounds
- The dance for everyone, no age, no gender divisions.
- More room for creativity and improvisation, but one must respect the
basic foundations of the music: no folly, no madness.

---

In appreciation of your support during record distributor CD Baby’s promotion, purchasers of Yaya Diallo’s classic 1980 album Nangape from CD Baby, http://www.cdbaby.com/yayadiallo, during the month of August will receive a complimentary copy of Yaya Diallo’s upcoming album Live at Club Soda upon it’s release planned for November, 2003 from Onzou Records. Visit Onzou Records for details, http://www.onzou.com.

Yaya Diallo, master drummer, musician, teacher, lecturer, storyteller, healer, "Healing Drum Tours" guide to Mali, author and native of Mali, West Africa is a major custodian of West African culture.