Edited by Azizi Powell
This pancocojams post documents a number of comments from the discussion thread of the 2010 YouTube video entitled "Foli - There Is No Movement Without Rhythm" that noted what commenters consider to be similarities the traditional culture of the Malinke people of West Africa and the cultures of Tamil people in India and the Ho people in India.
Information about the Malinke (Mandingo) people of West Africa is included in this pancocojams post. Information about Tamils and the Ho people in India is also included in this post.
Addendum #1 showcases a Tamil video that was mentioned in one of the comments that is quoted from the discussion thread for the "Foli" video.
Addendum #2 quotes a comment exchange from that discussion thread that informs readers that it's the Malinke (Mandingo) culture that is the focus of this video.
****
The content of this post is presented for folkloric and cultural purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks Thomas Roebers and Floris Leeuwenberg, the producers and publishers on YouTube of this embedded video. Thanks to all those who are featured in this video. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post.
****
SHOWCASE VIDEO: FOLI (there is no movement without rhythm) original version by Thomas Roebers and Floris Leeuwenberg
thomas roebers, Published on Oct 25, 2010
Dedicated to the people of Baro*. Please share.
Life has a rhythm, it's constantly moving.
The word for rhythm ( used by the Malinke tribes ) is FOLI.
It is a word that encompasses so much more than drumming, dancing or sound.
It's found in every part of daily life.
In this film you not only hear and feel rhythm but you see it.
It's an extraordinary blend of image and sound that
feeds the senses and reminds us all
how essential it is.
Caption author (Portuguese (Brazil))
Yuri Sucupira
-snip-
Statistics: as of May 6, 2019 3:18 PM
total views - 19,807,382
total likes - 193,000
total dislikes - 4,800
-snip-
Baro is a city in Guinea, West Africa. Click https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baro,_Guinea for information about Baro, Guinea.
Click https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guinea for information about Guinea, West Africa (Guinea-Conakry).
****
DISCLAIMER:
This pancocojams post was prompted by the fact that when I read the discussion thread for the YouTube video "Foli", I repeatedly read comments about the similarities between the cultures of the Tamils and the culture of the people who are the focus of that video, particularly with regard to drumming styles. This post documents some of those comments.
I don't take any position as to whether the cultures mentioned in this post are similar or not.
This compilation isn't meant to be the sum total of all the comments on this subject in that discussion thread. Although I read a large number of comments in that discussion thread, I didn't read the entire thread. There may be some comments which I read on this subject that I unintentionally didn't include in this compilation. There may also be comments on this subject in the portion of that discussion thread that I didn't read.
****
INFORMATION ABOUT MALINKE (MANDINGO) PEOPLE
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mandinka_people
"The Mandinka or Malinke (also known as Maninka, Manding, Mandingo, Mandenka, Dioula, Bambara and Mandinko)[8] are a West African ethnic group with an estimated global population of 32 million (the other three largest ethnic groups in Africa being the unrelated Fula, Hausa and Songhai peoples). The Mandinka are one ethnic group within the larger linguistic family of the Mandé peoples, who account for more than 87 million people. (Other Mande peoples include the Soninke, Dyula, Bozo, Bissa and Bambara.)
The Mandinka are the descendants of the Mali Empire, which rose to power in the 13th century under the rule of king Sundiata Keita who founded an empire which would go on to span the large part of West Africa. They migrated west from the Niger River in search of better agricultural lands and more opportunities for conquest.[9]
The Mandinka people live primarily in West Africa in Mali, The Gambia, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Senegal, Burkina Faso, Liberia, Guinea-Bissau, Niger, Mauritania and Ivory Coast. Although widespread, in most countries the Mandinka are not the largest ethnic group,[10] except in The Gambia, Mali and Guinea where they constitute the largest ethnic group.[10] Most Mandinka live in family-related compounds in traditional rural villages. Their traditional society has featured socially stratified castes.[8][11][12] Mandinka communities have been fairly autonomous and self-ruled, being led by a chief and group of elders. Mandinka has been an oral society where mythologies, history and knowledge are verbally transmitted from one generation to next.[13] More than 99% of Mandinka in contemporary Africa are Muslim.[14]
****
INFORMATION ABOUT TAMILS
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamils#Music
"The Tamil people (/ˈtæmɪl/; Tamil: தமிழர், tamiẓhar (singular) ? [t̪ɐmɪɻɐɾ], or Tamil: தமிழர்கள், tamiẓarkaḷ (plural) ? [t̪ɐmɪɻɐɾxɐɭ]), also known as Tamilar, Tamilans or simply Tamils, are an ethnic group who speak the language Tamil as their mother tongue and trace their ancestry to southern India and north-eastern Sri Lanka.[6] Tamils, with a population of around 76 million and with a documented history stretching back over 3,000 years, are one of the largest and oldest extant ethnolinguistic groups in the modern world.[7] Tamils constitute 5.9% of the population in India (mostly concentrated in south India), 15.3% in Sri Lanka,[note 1] 6% in Mauritius,[14] 7% in Malaysia and 5% in Singapore.
On 5 April 2019, it was established that the Tamil civilization is proven to date back to at least 900 BC, results of radio carbon dating of samples from Adichanallur archaeological site, village on the banks of the Tamirabarani river in Tuticorin district of southern Tamil Nadu, were revealed by the Madurai bench of the Madras High Court.[15]"...
****
INFORMATION ABOUT THE HO PEOPLE (IN INDIA)
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_people
"The Ho people are an ethnic group of India. They are an Austroasiatic ethnic group concentrated in the state of Jharkhand and Odisha[2][3][4] where they constitute around 10.5% of the Scheduled Tribes. With a population of approximately 700,000 in the state in 2001, the Ho were the fourth most numerous Scheduled tribe in Jharkhand after the Santhals, Kurukhs, and Mundas.[5] Ho territory also extends to adjacent areas in the neighboring states of West bengal, where there are approximately 80,600 Ho, Chhattisgarh and Bihar.They also live in Bangladesh and Nepal[6]
The ethnonym "Ho" is derived from the Ho language word hō meaning "human". The name is also applied to their language which is an Austroasiatic language closely related to Mundari. According to Ethnologue, the total number of people speaking the Ho language was 1,040,000 as of 2001.[7] Similar to other Austroasiatic groups in the area, the Ho report varying degrees of multilingualism, also using Hindi and English.[8]
Over 90% of the Ho practice the indigenous religion Sarnaism. The majority of the Ho are involved in agriculture, either as land owners or laborers, while others are engaged in mining. Compared to the rest of India, the Ho have a low literacy rate and a low rate of school enrollment. The government of Jharkhand has recently approved measures to help increase enrollment and literacy among children.[9][10][11]"...
****
SELECTED COMMENTS
These comments are presented in chronological order based on their publishing date in the discussion thread for the video that is embedded in this post, with the oldest dated comments given first.
I wrote two comments in this discussion thread which provided Google translations of other comments.
Numbers are added for referencing purposes only.
2018
1. Pavanendra Singh Sisodia
"Like that culture we have in India at jhabua district, visit once... To see n feel."
**
2. venkat chal
"So much similarity with Indian forms of dance....WoW!"
**
REPLY
3. Laniiyah Scott
"venkat chal Yes indeed! So beautiful isn't it?!❤️🙌🏾"
**
REPLY
4. Kate B.
"That's because as humans we have a unique global conscience, deep inside us..."
**
5. Robert Tamil
"The DNA of parai music of tamil nadu ,India and african music are same."
**
6. praba haran
"I feel my Tamil culture !!! It may resemble , great civilization .."
**
7. GANESH RAJA
"Tamil song la intha rythm ketta mari iruku, but enna pattunu theriyelea"
**
REPLY
8. Ju
"Tamilana ? 🤗
Urumi vasikara satham familiar ah iruku"
**
9. Right Time
"https://youtu.be/hRwlozbln-A Tamil Folk Music
-snip-
This video is shown in Addendum #1 of this pancocojams post.
****
2019
10. ShivaSidhartha Gowdaಶಿವಸಿದ್ಧಾರ್ಥಗೌಡ
"Do only I feel... That it has our "south Indian tribal culture flavor" ?"
**
REPLY
11. Andrea Barnes
"You got it from them."
**
REPLY
12. ShivaSidhartha Gowdaಶಿವಸಿದ್ಧಾರ್ಥಗೌಡ
"@Andrea Barnes yep... I know. Thanks"
**
13. Neeta Tiu
"So familiar and beautiful and lovely and simply loving. Lots of respects from the Ho tribes of India. ❤"
**
REPLY
14. Food Gurudev
"We love our HO tribes 😊"
**
15. SHAJAHAN SHAJAHAN
"People's real rhythm of sound still lives in Africa!! Love from Tamil Nadu. INDIA."
***
16. Sant C
"These r universal tribal beats,similar beats & rhythm can be found in tribal / folk music all over the world"
**
REPLY
17. Neeta Tiu
"Very true."
**
18. Neeta Tiu
"As there is a saying in Ho tribe in India " Talking/saying/telling is song and walking is dance"."
**
19. Manikandan T
"மனிதவாழ்வின்எந்தசூழ்ழிழம்.
கலைஉறவுஇருக்கும்.
Manitavalvinentacullilam."
-snip-
Google translation from Tamil to English
For kalaiuravuir.
Manitavalvinentacullilam.
**
20. Victor Arunachalam
"Tamil people and africa people same their cultures"
**
21. May 17
"Just like 100% same in Tamilnadu (India) doing village life not in single peasant change."
-snip-
"May 17" is the commenter's screen name
**
22. Praadyumna kumar singh Chinda
"In India this instrument is called ,Dhol ,tasa and nishan.a folk instruments."
**
23. вы
"Шамана они и в Африке и в Индии шаманы. )))"
**
REPLY
24. Praadyumna kumar singh Chinda
"Write in English that I can understand .love from India."
**
REPLY
25. Azizi Powell
"@Praadyumna kumar singh Chinda Google translation from Russian to English:
"The shamans are both in Africa and in India shamans. )))"
**
26. Jaya Prakash
"தமிழின் கலாச்சாரம் உள்ளது.உரல், கிணறு, பாடல் , கோடாளி , கொல்லர்"
**
REPLY
27. ABC DEF
"Type in English so that we understand"
**
REPLY
28. Azizi Powell
"@ABC DEF Google translation from Tamil to English:
"There is a culture of Tamils.Lural, well, song, kodali, kolar"
****
ADDENDUM #1:
Here's the video that was mentioned in Comment #9 above:
#FolkArt #Kattiyakkaran #periyamelam
Periya Melam | பெரிய மேளம் | Folk Art | Kattiyakkaran | Munusamy
Kattiyakkaran, Published on Nov 30, 2018
Periya Melam Munusamy
****
ADDENDUM #2
Here's an exchange from that discussion thread that informs the readers that the video is about Mandingo culture:
1. hukmichand choudhary
"I no understand this language but this calture song nice"
**
REPLY
2. Namory Condé
"hukmichand choudhary it’s Mandingo from guinea Conakry"
****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
Showing posts with label African drumming. Show all posts
Showing posts with label African drumming. Show all posts
Monday, May 6, 2019
Sunday, April 28, 2019
Two YouTube Videos Of Baba Olatunji Drumming Fanga (with selected comments)
Edited by Azizi Powell
This is Part III of a three part pancocojams series on the song "Funga Alafia".
Selected comments from these videos' discussion threads are also included in this post.
Part III showcases two YouTube videos of Nigerian master drummer Babatunde Olatunji performing "Fanga".
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2019/04/the-real-origin-of-song-funga-alafia.html for Part I of this pancocojams series. Part I corrects widely found misinformation about the provenance (origin/source) of the song "Funga Alafia".
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2019/04/three-youtube-videos-of-funga-alafia.html for Part II of this series. Part II showcases some video examples of "Funga Alafia" songs and/or dances.
Selected comments from these videos' discussion threads are also included in this post.
****
The content of this post is presented for historical and cultural information.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to Baba Olatunji for their musical legacy. Thanks also to all those who are featured in these videos and thanks to all those who are quoted in this post. In addition, thanks to the publishers of these videos on YouTube.
****
SHOWCASE VIDEOS
Video #1: Baba Olatunji plays Fanga
D Kern, Published on Mar 22, 2011
Baba Olatunji and the dancers and drummers from our class perform Fanga at Omega Institute in August of 1993.
-snip-
Here are selected comments from that video's discussion thread. with numbers given for referencing purposes only:
1. Aurora Baucum, 2011
"whats with the gaps of ugly sound?"
**
REPLY
D Kern, 2013
"The tape that I digitized it from had those gaps. We felt lucky that we had a record of our wonderful time there with Baba at all : )"
**
3. Prestigeroka, 2016
"I'd like to use this video as part of a research project for university, but wondered how to verify whether this is the same 'Fanga' dance pearl primus brought to America.
And also who were these dancers?, Where were they from, a regular class, troupe, social club...? Who were the teachers of the class? and .
I would love to highlight this video as its one of the rare videos containing the great Baba Olatunji accompanied by amazing dnacers, but without certain information this Beautiful video will just become another archive :(
Any help would be GREATLy appreciated x"
**
REPLY
4. Debby Kern, 2016
"Baba Olatunji was the drumming teacher. Alaliday ---- was our dance teacher. I believe they said the dance originated in Liberia. It was all the dancers who took the workshop at Omega that year. The only professional was the teacher. Lots of fun though!"
-snip-
As documented in Part I of this 2019 pancocojams series, Funga Alafia dances that have been performed in the United States are adaptations of the Vai (Liberian) Fanga dance.
****
Video #2: Babatunde African Drum Performance.
derbeno, Published on Apr 8, 2007
Babatunde Olatunji interpretation of Fanga, a Rhythm from Liberia
-snip-
Here are selected comments from that video's discussion thread. with numbers given for referencing purposes only:
1. NJtoTX, 2007
"Yay Baba, Sanga and Sikiru! I believe this is from one of Baba's teaching videos - they do it so simply. Even then, Baba could not see - he had to be led up to the drums. Aah, but once he was there..."
**
REPLY
2. Paul Skiff, 2016
"This is a great outtake from an instructional video Baba did back in the early 1990's. It's Babatunde Olatunji, for those of you unfamiliar with his music. That's the magnificent Sanga of the Valley on the right side of the screen and another of Baba's longtime collaborators Sikiru Adepoju on the left. Both also played on Planet Drum, the full length CD that won the Grammy for best World Music recording in 1991, I think it was. That recording stayed at the top of the charts longer than any other recording in its category.
**
3. TheOriginalZeke, 2008
"For those of you who are first discovering him, the great Babatunde Olatunji was credited with founding the "world music" style on his Drums of Passion album (1960). He has influenced many musicians over his career. Google or Wiki "Babatunde Olatunji" for more info."
**
4. 1oolabob, 2008
"Ashe, ashe! My spiritual grandpa doing what he does. Thanks for posting this!"
**
5. Eyemallfunkedup, 2008
"This was a special man. If only more people in the world were like Baba, the world would be a much better place. Alafia----PEACE AND LOVE TO YOU. R.I.P. Brother....
"
**
6. Christina Alava Igbinkeke, 2008
"Now we can see how the Cubans preserved the drum rhythums and where they came from"
**
7. dreadywinnie, 2009
"AMAZING! Big UP! Thanxx for this sooo grandiose Video!!
Peace & Love!"
**
8. de marco, 2010
"Amazing....
Friendship greetings
I live in Sentul, Bogor - West Java (INDONESIA)
PEACE
-snip-
This is the earliest examples of what I refer to as "nation signing in" comments that I've found (as of April 2019). There were very few other comments like this in this discussion thread. Click the nation signing in tag that is found below to read more about nation signing in comments.
**
9. Walker Foster, 2013
"But the language of the song is Yoruba, yes? Fanga Alafia..Ashe Ashe? Someone hip me, please."
-snip-
"Someone hip me, please" = "Someone please explain this to me [so that I will be "hip" (up to date with the latest information).
**
REPLY
10. Gold001, 2013
"Yeah, I know this because I'm Nigerian. I'm not Yoruba, but I go a Yoruba church. The drumming is similar to the church's drumming. Also, even the guy's name is Yoruba, and if you look at some of his performances, they're singing in the Yoruba dialect."
**
REPLY
11. Azizi Powell, 2019
"Walker Foster, the rhythm known as "Fanga" is from the Vai people of Liberia, West Africa. The words "Alafia" and "ashe" are from the Yoruba people of Nigeria. (Babatunde Olatunji was also from Nigeria, and his first and last names are also Yoruba.)
However, the song "Funga Alafia" (sometimes given as "Fanga Alafia") was composed in 1959 or 1960 by an African American drummer living in New York City named LaRocque Bey. Bey played drums with Olatunji. Notice that the tune for "Funga Alafia" is the same tune as the American song "Little Liza Jane".
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2019/04/the-real-origin-of-song-funga-alafia.html for more information about this subject.
**
12. Moia Mc Barrow, 2015
"Can somebody tell me the names of the types of drums here?"
**
13. Paul Sidhu, 2016
"What's the name of the large barrel drum with the cowbell?"
**
REPLY
14. Paul Skiff, 2016
"There is a lot of confusion about that outside of Africa. In the U.S. you commonly hear it called the djun djun, or jun jun. It is kind of a slur on dunun which is what you would hear in a lot of west Africa. Not to be confused with dundun, which is the name of the Yoruba talking drum that is much smaller and hour glass shaped and is played with a curved stick or mallet. The djun djun is the bass drum of the ensemble."
**
15. frenelmerisier, 2016
"this is ok. ..but haitian drumming is way better"
**
REPLY
16. little mix, 2016
"and where did haitian drumming come from? i'll wait"
**
REPLY
17. smiling coast Bah, 2016
"Haha, good point !!!! Blesss."
**
REPLY
18. Kate B., 2017
"little mix I swear people in the Caribbean and America keep forgetting..."
**
19. Moccio VooDoo, 2018
"It's so similar with jamaican nyabinghi"
****
This concludes Part III of this three part pancocojams series.
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
This is Part III of a three part pancocojams series on the song "Funga Alafia".
Selected comments from these videos' discussion threads are also included in this post.
Part III showcases two YouTube videos of Nigerian master drummer Babatunde Olatunji performing "Fanga".
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2019/04/the-real-origin-of-song-funga-alafia.html for Part I of this pancocojams series. Part I corrects widely found misinformation about the provenance (origin/source) of the song "Funga Alafia".
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2019/04/three-youtube-videos-of-funga-alafia.html for Part II of this series. Part II showcases some video examples of "Funga Alafia" songs and/or dances.
Selected comments from these videos' discussion threads are also included in this post.
****
The content of this post is presented for historical and cultural information.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to Baba Olatunji for their musical legacy. Thanks also to all those who are featured in these videos and thanks to all those who are quoted in this post. In addition, thanks to the publishers of these videos on YouTube.
****
SHOWCASE VIDEOS
Video #1: Baba Olatunji plays Fanga
D Kern, Published on Mar 22, 2011
Baba Olatunji and the dancers and drummers from our class perform Fanga at Omega Institute in August of 1993.
-snip-
Here are selected comments from that video's discussion thread. with numbers given for referencing purposes only:
1. Aurora Baucum, 2011
"whats with the gaps of ugly sound?"
**
REPLY
D Kern, 2013
"The tape that I digitized it from had those gaps. We felt lucky that we had a record of our wonderful time there with Baba at all : )"
**
3. Prestigeroka, 2016
"I'd like to use this video as part of a research project for university, but wondered how to verify whether this is the same 'Fanga' dance pearl primus brought to America.
And also who were these dancers?, Where were they from, a regular class, troupe, social club...? Who were the teachers of the class? and .
I would love to highlight this video as its one of the rare videos containing the great Baba Olatunji accompanied by amazing dnacers, but without certain information this Beautiful video will just become another archive :(
Any help would be GREATLy appreciated x"
**
REPLY
4. Debby Kern, 2016
"Baba Olatunji was the drumming teacher. Alaliday ---- was our dance teacher. I believe they said the dance originated in Liberia. It was all the dancers who took the workshop at Omega that year. The only professional was the teacher. Lots of fun though!"
-snip-
As documented in Part I of this 2019 pancocojams series, Funga Alafia dances that have been performed in the United States are adaptations of the Vai (Liberian) Fanga dance.
****
Video #2: Babatunde African Drum Performance.
derbeno, Published on Apr 8, 2007
Babatunde Olatunji interpretation of Fanga, a Rhythm from Liberia
-snip-
Here are selected comments from that video's discussion thread. with numbers given for referencing purposes only:
1. NJtoTX, 2007
"Yay Baba, Sanga and Sikiru! I believe this is from one of Baba's teaching videos - they do it so simply. Even then, Baba could not see - he had to be led up to the drums. Aah, but once he was there..."
**
REPLY
2. Paul Skiff, 2016
"This is a great outtake from an instructional video Baba did back in the early 1990's. It's Babatunde Olatunji, for those of you unfamiliar with his music. That's the magnificent Sanga of the Valley on the right side of the screen and another of Baba's longtime collaborators Sikiru Adepoju on the left. Both also played on Planet Drum, the full length CD that won the Grammy for best World Music recording in 1991, I think it was. That recording stayed at the top of the charts longer than any other recording in its category.
**
3. TheOriginalZeke, 2008
"For those of you who are first discovering him, the great Babatunde Olatunji was credited with founding the "world music" style on his Drums of Passion album (1960). He has influenced many musicians over his career. Google or Wiki "Babatunde Olatunji" for more info."
**
4. 1oolabob, 2008
"Ashe, ashe! My spiritual grandpa doing what he does. Thanks for posting this!"
**
5. Eyemallfunkedup, 2008
"This was a special man. If only more people in the world were like Baba, the world would be a much better place. Alafia----PEACE AND LOVE TO YOU. R.I.P. Brother....
"
**
6. Christina Alava Igbinkeke, 2008
"Now we can see how the Cubans preserved the drum rhythums and where they came from"
**
7. dreadywinnie, 2009
"AMAZING! Big UP! Thanxx for this sooo grandiose Video!!
Peace & Love!"
**
8. de marco, 2010
"Amazing....
Friendship greetings
I live in Sentul, Bogor - West Java (INDONESIA)
PEACE
-snip-
This is the earliest examples of what I refer to as "nation signing in" comments that I've found (as of April 2019). There were very few other comments like this in this discussion thread. Click the nation signing in tag that is found below to read more about nation signing in comments.
**
9. Walker Foster, 2013
"But the language of the song is Yoruba, yes? Fanga Alafia..Ashe Ashe? Someone hip me, please."
-snip-
"Someone hip me, please" = "Someone please explain this to me [so that I will be "hip" (up to date with the latest information).
**
REPLY
10. Gold001, 2013
"Yeah, I know this because I'm Nigerian. I'm not Yoruba, but I go a Yoruba church. The drumming is similar to the church's drumming. Also, even the guy's name is Yoruba, and if you look at some of his performances, they're singing in the Yoruba dialect."
**
REPLY
11. Azizi Powell, 2019
"Walker Foster, the rhythm known as "Fanga" is from the Vai people of Liberia, West Africa. The words "Alafia" and "ashe" are from the Yoruba people of Nigeria. (Babatunde Olatunji was also from Nigeria, and his first and last names are also Yoruba.)
However, the song "Funga Alafia" (sometimes given as "Fanga Alafia") was composed in 1959 or 1960 by an African American drummer living in New York City named LaRocque Bey. Bey played drums with Olatunji. Notice that the tune for "Funga Alafia" is the same tune as the American song "Little Liza Jane".
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2019/04/the-real-origin-of-song-funga-alafia.html for more information about this subject.
**
12. Moia Mc Barrow, 2015
"Can somebody tell me the names of the types of drums here?"
**
13. Paul Sidhu, 2016
"What's the name of the large barrel drum with the cowbell?"
**
REPLY
14. Paul Skiff, 2016
"There is a lot of confusion about that outside of Africa. In the U.S. you commonly hear it called the djun djun, or jun jun. It is kind of a slur on dunun which is what you would hear in a lot of west Africa. Not to be confused with dundun, which is the name of the Yoruba talking drum that is much smaller and hour glass shaped and is played with a curved stick or mallet. The djun djun is the bass drum of the ensemble."
**
15. frenelmerisier, 2016
"this is ok. ..but haitian drumming is way better"
**
REPLY
16. little mix, 2016
"and where did haitian drumming come from? i'll wait"
**
REPLY
17. smiling coast Bah, 2016
"Haha, good point !!!! Blesss."
**
REPLY
18. Kate B., 2017
"little mix I swear people in the Caribbean and America keep forgetting..."
**
19. Moccio VooDoo, 2018
"It's so similar with jamaican nyabinghi"
****
This concludes Part III of this three part pancocojams series.
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
Saturday, June 21, 2014
Focus On Percussionist Nana Kimati Dinizulu (videos & information)
Edited by Azizi Powell
This post provides information about percussionist Nana Kimati Dinizulu and showcases selected videos of this musician. Some of those rare videos from the 1990s also include footage of Nana Kimati Dinizulu's Kotoko Society (band), and other renown musicians and performers such as master drummer Baba Chief Bey, Jazz singer & musician Olu Dara, Jazz drummer Roy Haynes, Dub Poet Oku Onuora, and others.
Information about musician Nana Yao Opare Dinizulu (Kimati Dinizulu's father), as well as information about The Dinizulu Center for African Culture and Research at Aims of Modzawe, Inc. and the Dinizulu Archives is found in the Addendum to this post. The Addendum also includes explanations about the meaning of the Ghanaian title "Nana".
The content of this post is provided for historical, cultural, educational, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to the creative, educational, and inspirational legacy of Nana Kimati Dinizulu and all others who are featured in or mentioned in this post. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publishers of these YouTube sound files and videos.
****
INFORMATION ABOUT NANA KIMATI DINIZULU
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kimati_Dinizulu
"Nana Kimati Dinizulu was an African-American percussionist. He performed with many great artists like Toni Morrison, Alvin Ailey, Donald McKayle, Gregory Hines, Sonny Rollins, Nina Simone, Harry Belafonte, Wynton Marsalis, Jackie McLean and Dizzy Gillespie and many more...
Nana Kimati Dinizulu began playing drums and percussion instruments in his early childhood. He was born in New York, New York on September 27, 1956. For many generations, the Dinizulu clan has been active in music and performance. Nana Dinizulu’s father, the late Nana Yao Opare Dinizulu was a world-respected African drummer. His mother, Alice Dinizulu, was a key dancer for Asadata Dafora’s Dance Company which was the first dance company to put African dance and music on Broadway in the United States from the 1930s to the 1950s...
Mr. Dinizulu worked with several domestic and international cultural organizations, including UNESCO. UNESCO declared 2004 to be the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle against Slavery and its Abolition by the United Nations General Assembly. Mr. Dinizulu performed and lectured on endangered African-American instruments as a part of a UNESCO conference of scholars from around the world gathered at Tulane University.
Furthermore, Mr. Kimati Dinizulu worked with the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, an organization for documenting, preserving, interpreting, and celebrating the culture and history of black people worldwide...
The learning of drumming and African culture is a lifetime process for Mr. Dinizulu. His encyclopedic knowledge of drums, percussion, and the art of drumming comes from his worldwide travels and studies of the music of other cultures as well as his heartfelt love for music and learning. He assembled a group of musicians from around the world, called the Kotoko Society with whom he composed and performed with regularly.
Nana Kimati Dinizulu died on July 7, 2013."
****
FEATURED EXAMPLES
Example #1: Nana Kimati Dinizulu Rare Drum Solo # 1
The Dinizulu Archives, December 8, 2006
This rare drum solo of Nana Kimati Dinizulu took place in Japan in the 1990s.
-snip-
Also, click this link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqGap02On2w for a video of Nana Kimati Dinizulu "Nana Kimati Dinizulu soloing on Gome, a hand and foot drum of the Ga people of Ghana, West Africa. This solo was performed around 1990."
****
Example #2: Kimati Dinizulu & His Kotoko Society @ New Orleans Jazz Fest
The Dinizulu Archives, Uploaded on December 8, 2006
Kimati Dinizulu & His Kotoko Society performed live on Congo Square stage of the New Orleans Jazz Festival. This is an excerpt and a scaled down version of an original musical work by Nana Kimati Dinizulu. With Brian Carrot on Marimbas, Michael Williams on Wooden Flutes, Nana Owusu on Dawuru, Claude Thomas on Akasa, the late Meshach Silas on djembe, and the late Zeleka Jenkins on vocals
-snip-
“The late” means that that person so referred to is deceased
****
Example #3: Dub Poet Oku Onuora with Kimati Dinizulu & Kotoko Society
The Dinizulu Archives,December 9, 2006
Here you will find rare footage of Kimati Dinizulu & his Kotoko Society performing live at new York City’s Sob’s. Dub poet Oku Onuora is featured in this clip along with master drummer Baba Chief Bey and Olu Dara who is rapper Nas (Nasir Jones) father Circa 1990
-snip-
According to Verbal Riddim: The Politics and Aesthetics of African-Caribbean Dub Poetry
by Christian Habekostto [Google Books] Jamaican dub poet first performed his poem "We A Come" in 1985.
****
Example #4: Roy Haynes and Kimati Dinizulu Duet
The Dinizulu Archives, uploaded December 8, 2006
An excerpt of a duet performed by Roy Haynes and Kimati Dinizulu
****
Example #5: Olu Dara with Kimati Dinizulu & his Kotoko Society
The Dinizulu Archives , Dec. 10, 2006
Rare footage of Kimati Dinizulu & his Kotoko Society at Sob’s featuring Olu Dara. Rapper Nas (Nasir Jones) is Olu’s son. The late Baba Chief Bey can be seen in this clip. Kimati Dinizulu is playing one of his one strings made from a coffee can.
Circa early 1990s.
-snip-
The Nigerian word "Baba" (Father) and "Chief" are both used as honorary titles.
****
ADDENDUM
Information about Nana Yao Opare Dinizulu
From http://www.nytimes.com/1991/02/16/obituaries/yao-opare-dinizulu-troupe-founder-60.html[published 2/16/1991]
... "For more than 40 years Mr. [Yao Opare] Dinizulu presided over the critically acclaimed company of dancers, drummers and singers that he termed "the oldest African dance company in America."
He was born in Augusta, Ga., and traced his lineage to Ghana. He traveled to Africa frequently and in Ghana received the titles of Omanhene and Okomfohene, or chief and spiritual leader, of the Akan tribe. Nana is a Ghanaian title of respect."
-snip-
The Addendum contains additional information about the Ghanaian title "Nana".
****
Information about The Dinizulu Center for African Culture and Research at Aims of Modzawe, Inc.
From http://dinizulucenter.org/about/
"The Dinizulu Center for African Culture and Research at Aims of Modzawe, Inc., a non- profit tax-exempt organization, located in Jamaica, New York, was founded by Nana Yao Opare Dinizulu, to provide a mechanism for the study and teaching of African Culture. Nana Dinizulu was involved in the study, practice and dissemination of African culture and traditions for over four decades. He was instrumental in introducing hundreds of thousands of people to African culture, through his dance company and other appearances...
The Dinizulu Center for African Culture and Research at Aims of Modzawe, home of the Dinizulu Dancers, Drummers and Singers and The African Diaspora Children’s Museum, offers study and research in African History and Culture via an after school and evening program. The program includes African Dance instruction, master classes with African Dance Artists, lecture series featuring renown educators, and historians of the African world and instruction in African music, language, and arts and crafts...
In the early seventies, The Dinizulu Center for African Culture and Research at Aims of Modzawe was responsible for many African-Americans seeing Africa for the first time via inexpensive charter trips. During these trips. Many were introduced to the cultural and sacred life of Ghana and Nigeria...."
Information about the Dinizulu Archives
From http://dinizulucenter.org/the-dinizulu-archives/
"The Dinizulu Archives is a series of various video clips which include a wide array of footage from field research he has conducted around the African Diaspora. Also you will find some excerpts of vintage and rare footage that has been collected throughout the years. All contents of the series can be seen at www.youtube.com/africanbushdoctor "
****
What the Ghanaian word "Nana" means
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akan_Chieftaincy
"In many parts of West Africa, there is an old chieftaincy tradition. The Akan of Ghana have developed their own hierarchy which exists alongside the democratic structure of the country. The Akan word for the ruler is nana. In colonial times, Europeans translated it to “chief”, which is not an exact equivalent. Other sources speak of “kings”, which is also not entirely correct. The term “chief” has become common even amongst modern Ghanaians, though it would be more correct to use the expression nana without translation wherever possible…
The title of Queen mother can relate to the rank of a paramount queen, a queen or a sub-queen. The Akan name is the same as for the men, “nana”. When using English, Ghanaians say “queen mother”. This woman is not necessarily the respective chief's mother. Her role in the system is to have an eye on the social conditions, and a personally capable Queen mother has been known to equal or even surpass a reigning Chief in terms of power and prestige. A good example of this happening is the case of Queen Yaa Asantewa."
-snip-
The nickname "Nana" for grandmother is much more common in the United States than the honorific title "Nana". However, that title has been given to male and female African Americans, including Nana Yao Opare Dinizulu [male], Nana Kimati Dinizulu [male], and Nana Malaya Rucker, female African Dancer/instructor/lecturer, Washington, D. C. area.
****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
This post provides information about percussionist Nana Kimati Dinizulu and showcases selected videos of this musician. Some of those rare videos from the 1990s also include footage of Nana Kimati Dinizulu's Kotoko Society (band), and other renown musicians and performers such as master drummer Baba Chief Bey, Jazz singer & musician Olu Dara, Jazz drummer Roy Haynes, Dub Poet Oku Onuora, and others.
Information about musician Nana Yao Opare Dinizulu (Kimati Dinizulu's father), as well as information about The Dinizulu Center for African Culture and Research at Aims of Modzawe, Inc. and the Dinizulu Archives is found in the Addendum to this post. The Addendum also includes explanations about the meaning of the Ghanaian title "Nana".
The content of this post is provided for historical, cultural, educational, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to the creative, educational, and inspirational legacy of Nana Kimati Dinizulu and all others who are featured in or mentioned in this post. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publishers of these YouTube sound files and videos.
****
INFORMATION ABOUT NANA KIMATI DINIZULU
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kimati_Dinizulu
"Nana Kimati Dinizulu was an African-American percussionist. He performed with many great artists like Toni Morrison, Alvin Ailey, Donald McKayle, Gregory Hines, Sonny Rollins, Nina Simone, Harry Belafonte, Wynton Marsalis, Jackie McLean and Dizzy Gillespie and many more...
Nana Kimati Dinizulu began playing drums and percussion instruments in his early childhood. He was born in New York, New York on September 27, 1956. For many generations, the Dinizulu clan has been active in music and performance. Nana Dinizulu’s father, the late Nana Yao Opare Dinizulu was a world-respected African drummer. His mother, Alice Dinizulu, was a key dancer for Asadata Dafora’s Dance Company which was the first dance company to put African dance and music on Broadway in the United States from the 1930s to the 1950s...
Mr. Dinizulu worked with several domestic and international cultural organizations, including UNESCO. UNESCO declared 2004 to be the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle against Slavery and its Abolition by the United Nations General Assembly. Mr. Dinizulu performed and lectured on endangered African-American instruments as a part of a UNESCO conference of scholars from around the world gathered at Tulane University.
Furthermore, Mr. Kimati Dinizulu worked with the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, an organization for documenting, preserving, interpreting, and celebrating the culture and history of black people worldwide...
The learning of drumming and African culture is a lifetime process for Mr. Dinizulu. His encyclopedic knowledge of drums, percussion, and the art of drumming comes from his worldwide travels and studies of the music of other cultures as well as his heartfelt love for music and learning. He assembled a group of musicians from around the world, called the Kotoko Society with whom he composed and performed with regularly.
Nana Kimati Dinizulu died on July 7, 2013."
****
FEATURED EXAMPLES
Example #1: Nana Kimati Dinizulu Rare Drum Solo # 1
The Dinizulu Archives, December 8, 2006
This rare drum solo of Nana Kimati Dinizulu took place in Japan in the 1990s.
-snip-
Also, click this link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqGap02On2w for a video of Nana Kimati Dinizulu "Nana Kimati Dinizulu soloing on Gome, a hand and foot drum of the Ga people of Ghana, West Africa. This solo was performed around 1990."
****
Example #2: Kimati Dinizulu & His Kotoko Society @ New Orleans Jazz Fest
The Dinizulu Archives, Uploaded on December 8, 2006
Kimati Dinizulu & His Kotoko Society performed live on Congo Square stage of the New Orleans Jazz Festival. This is an excerpt and a scaled down version of an original musical work by Nana Kimati Dinizulu. With Brian Carrot on Marimbas, Michael Williams on Wooden Flutes, Nana Owusu on Dawuru, Claude Thomas on Akasa, the late Meshach Silas on djembe, and the late Zeleka Jenkins on vocals
-snip-
“The late” means that that person so referred to is deceased
****
Example #3: Dub Poet Oku Onuora with Kimati Dinizulu & Kotoko Society
The Dinizulu Archives,December 9, 2006
Here you will find rare footage of Kimati Dinizulu & his Kotoko Society performing live at new York City’s Sob’s. Dub poet Oku Onuora is featured in this clip along with master drummer Baba Chief Bey and Olu Dara who is rapper Nas (Nasir Jones) father Circa 1990
-snip-
According to Verbal Riddim: The Politics and Aesthetics of African-Caribbean Dub Poetry
by Christian Habekostto [Google Books] Jamaican dub poet first performed his poem "We A Come" in 1985.
****
Example #4: Roy Haynes and Kimati Dinizulu Duet
The Dinizulu Archives, uploaded December 8, 2006
An excerpt of a duet performed by Roy Haynes and Kimati Dinizulu
****
Example #5: Olu Dara with Kimati Dinizulu & his Kotoko Society
The Dinizulu Archives , Dec. 10, 2006
Rare footage of Kimati Dinizulu & his Kotoko Society at Sob’s featuring Olu Dara. Rapper Nas (Nasir Jones) is Olu’s son. The late Baba Chief Bey can be seen in this clip. Kimati Dinizulu is playing one of his one strings made from a coffee can.
Circa early 1990s.
-snip-
The Nigerian word "Baba" (Father) and "Chief" are both used as honorary titles.
****
ADDENDUM
Information about Nana Yao Opare Dinizulu
From http://www.nytimes.com/1991/02/16/obituaries/yao-opare-dinizulu-troupe-founder-60.html[published 2/16/1991]
... "For more than 40 years Mr. [Yao Opare] Dinizulu presided over the critically acclaimed company of dancers, drummers and singers that he termed "the oldest African dance company in America."
He was born in Augusta, Ga., and traced his lineage to Ghana. He traveled to Africa frequently and in Ghana received the titles of Omanhene and Okomfohene, or chief and spiritual leader, of the Akan tribe. Nana is a Ghanaian title of respect."
-snip-
The Addendum contains additional information about the Ghanaian title "Nana".
****
Information about The Dinizulu Center for African Culture and Research at Aims of Modzawe, Inc.
From http://dinizulucenter.org/about/
"The Dinizulu Center for African Culture and Research at Aims of Modzawe, Inc., a non- profit tax-exempt organization, located in Jamaica, New York, was founded by Nana Yao Opare Dinizulu, to provide a mechanism for the study and teaching of African Culture. Nana Dinizulu was involved in the study, practice and dissemination of African culture and traditions for over four decades. He was instrumental in introducing hundreds of thousands of people to African culture, through his dance company and other appearances...
The Dinizulu Center for African Culture and Research at Aims of Modzawe, home of the Dinizulu Dancers, Drummers and Singers and The African Diaspora Children’s Museum, offers study and research in African History and Culture via an after school and evening program. The program includes African Dance instruction, master classes with African Dance Artists, lecture series featuring renown educators, and historians of the African world and instruction in African music, language, and arts and crafts...
In the early seventies, The Dinizulu Center for African Culture and Research at Aims of Modzawe was responsible for many African-Americans seeing Africa for the first time via inexpensive charter trips. During these trips. Many were introduced to the cultural and sacred life of Ghana and Nigeria...."
Information about the Dinizulu Archives
From http://dinizulucenter.org/the-dinizulu-archives/
"The Dinizulu Archives is a series of various video clips which include a wide array of footage from field research he has conducted around the African Diaspora. Also you will find some excerpts of vintage and rare footage that has been collected throughout the years. All contents of the series can be seen at www.youtube.com/africanbushdoctor "
****
What the Ghanaian word "Nana" means
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akan_Chieftaincy
"In many parts of West Africa, there is an old chieftaincy tradition. The Akan of Ghana have developed their own hierarchy which exists alongside the democratic structure of the country. The Akan word for the ruler is nana. In colonial times, Europeans translated it to “chief”, which is not an exact equivalent. Other sources speak of “kings”, which is also not entirely correct. The term “chief” has become common even amongst modern Ghanaians, though it would be more correct to use the expression nana without translation wherever possible…
The title of Queen mother can relate to the rank of a paramount queen, a queen or a sub-queen. The Akan name is the same as for the men, “nana”. When using English, Ghanaians say “queen mother”. This woman is not necessarily the respective chief's mother. Her role in the system is to have an eye on the social conditions, and a personally capable Queen mother has been known to equal or even surpass a reigning Chief in terms of power and prestige. A good example of this happening is the case of Queen Yaa Asantewa."
-snip-
The nickname "Nana" for grandmother is much more common in the United States than the honorific title "Nana". However, that title has been given to male and female African Americans, including Nana Yao Opare Dinizulu [male], Nana Kimati Dinizulu [male], and Nana Malaya Rucker, female African Dancer/instructor/lecturer, Washington, D. C. area.
****
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Visitor comments are welcome.
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