Drissa Kone
Encyclopedia
Biography
Drissa Kone, born in the fifties in a village named Kuruba (on the border of MaliMali
Mali , officially the Republic of Mali , is a landlocked country in Western Africa. Mali borders Algeria on the north, Niger on the east, Burkina Faso and the Côte d'Ivoire on the south, Guinea on the south-west, and Senegal and Mauritania on the west. Its size is just over 1,240,000 km² with...
and Guinea
Guinea
Guinea , officially the Republic of Guinea , is a country in West Africa. Formerly known as French Guinea , it is today sometimes called Guinea-Conakry to distinguish it from its neighbour Guinea-Bissau. Guinea is divided into eight administrative regions and subdivided into thirty-three prefectures...
), is a widely respected djembe player who has captured the attention of many far beyond the borders of Mali.
At an early age, and against the will of his parents, he began drumming in his home village Kuruba. When he was 13 years old he moved to the capital city Bamako, where he found his long-time inspirational master in the deceased Yamadu Bani Dunbia
Yamadu Bani Dunbia
Yamadu Bani Dunbia was a notable djembe master drummer from Bamako, Mali. Although recordings of his playing are scarce, he was well known across Bamako. He recorded his first songs at the age of 78.- Biography :...
. In the 1980’s Drissa toured throughout Mali as a popular festival drummer and soloist for numerous ballets. In 1989 he met the artists Ulli Sanou and Gerhard Kero in Mali, who after intensive instruction became well-liked members of his festival music ensemble. In 1991 he came to Europe for the first time to join their music group SANZA. Drissa spent the next 7 years thrilling fans with his remarkable djembe at countless concerts throughout Europe. The recordings "SANZA live" and "in search of the one" were made during this time. Later engagements took Drissa to France, Spain, Norway, Germany and Switzerland. In the summer of 2006, he headed a two-week special seminar for professionals at the Codarts University of Professional Arts in Rotterdam. Since 2009 he is an instructor of the Dj.e.m.be- Djembe education moduls beatfactory, 2011 he was teching at the international festival Impulstanz
ImPulsTanz Vienna International Dance Festival
ImPulsTanz Vienna International Dance Festival is a major contemporary dance festival held in Vienna, Austria each year. It gathers thousands of professional dancers, choreographers and teachers for a five week program of performance, research projects and workshops...
in Vienna.
Discography
1992 - SANZA live EX 141-21994 - SANZA in search of the 1 EX220-2
2007 - Kurubamako EX697-2 beatfactory production
2008 - The Art of Jenbe Drumming - The Mali Tradition Vol. 2 (bibiafrica records)
Appearing also on:
2007 - Argile - Filefola: The Flute Album (bibiafrica records)