Mor Thiam
Encyclopedia
Mor Thiam is a Senegalese drummer, cultural historian, entertainment consultant and is the father of the famed singer Akon
. His surname is pronounced "Chahm."
Thiam, a member of the Dogon
ethnic group, played drums from before the age of eight and had begun playing professionally by age 12. His surname, Thiam, means "historian" in his native tongue
, and he comes from a family whose members use drums to tell the story of Senegal's Wolof people
. His instruments include tama, sabar
, and djembe
.
Thiam settled in the United States in 1968, at the invitation of the noted choreographer Katherine Dunham
. He settled in St. Louis
, where he worked with Dunham and with the Black Artists' Group (BAG), a multidisciplinary arts collective. He has maintained homes in Atlanta and Dakar
since the mid-1990s.
In 1973 and 1974 he performed with the jazz trumpeter Freddie Hubbard
and has also performed and recorded with the World Saxophone Quartet
. He toured Europe with the Alvin Ailey
Dance Company (1989). He has also performed and recorded with the cross-cultural ensemble No World Improvisations, with Jin Hi Kim
and Joseph Celli
.
Thiam regularly serves as a consultant for many African projects around the United States and serves as the executive director of the Stone Mountain, Georgia
-based Institute for the Study of African Culture.
Thiam's wife is named Kine Gueye Thiam.http://www.konfidence.org/founders.phphttp://memory.loc.gov/diglib/ihas/loc.natlib.ihas.200003748/default.html She is a dancer, and came to the United States in 1972.http://www.konfidence.org/founders.php Thiam's son with Kine, Akon
(born Aliaune Thiam), is an R&B singer.
Mor Thiam currently lives in Orlando, Florida
and performs regularly at Disney's Animal Kingdom
theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort
.
and the African Brazilian Connection
With the World Saxophone Quartet
Akon
Aliaune Damala Badara Thiam, better known as simply Akon , is a Senegalese American R&B recording artist and songwriter.According to Forbes, Akon grossed $21 million in 2010, $20 million in 2009 and $12 million in 2008. He rose to prominence in 2004 following the release of "Locked Up", the first...
. His surname is pronounced "Chahm."
Thiam, a member of the Dogon
Dogon people
The Dogon are an ethnic group living in the central plateau region of Mali, south of the Niger bend near the city of Bandiagara in the Mopti region. The population numbers between 400,000 and 800,000 The Dogon are best known for their religious traditions, their mask dances, wooden sculpture and...
ethnic group, played drums from before the age of eight and had begun playing professionally by age 12. His surname, Thiam, means "historian" in his native tongue
Dogon languages
The Dogon languages are spoken by the Dogon of Mali. There are about 600,000 speakers of a dozen languages. They are tonal languages, most like Dogul having two tones, some like Donno So having three....
, and he comes from a family whose members use drums to tell the story of Senegal's Wolof people
Wolof people
The Wolof are an ethnic group found in Senegal, The Gambia, and Mauritania.In Senegal, the Wolof form an ethnic plurality with about 43.3% of the population are Wolofs...
. His instruments include tama, sabar
Sabar
The sabar - from the Serer people in origin, is traditional drum from the West African nation of Senegal. It is generally played with one hand and one stick. Among its most renowned exponents is the Senegalese musician Doudou N'Diaye Rose. The sabar was used to communicate to other villages...
, and djembe
Djembe
A djembe also known as jembe, jenbe, djbobimbe, jymbe, yembe, or jimbay, or sanbanyi in Susu; is a skin-covered drum meant played with bare hands....
.
Thiam settled in the United States in 1968, at the invitation of the noted choreographer Katherine Dunham
Katherine Dunham
Katherine Mary Dunham was an American dancer, choreographer, songwriter, author, educator, and activist...
. He settled in St. Louis
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
, where he worked with Dunham and with the Black Artists' Group (BAG), a multidisciplinary arts collective. He has maintained homes in Atlanta and Dakar
Dakar
Dakar is the capital city and largest city of Senegal. It is located on the Cap-Vert Peninsula on the Atlantic coast and is the westernmost city on the African mainland...
since the mid-1990s.
In 1973 and 1974 he performed with the jazz trumpeter Freddie Hubbard
Freddie Hubbard
Frederick Dewayne "Freddie" Hubbard was an American jazz trumpeter. He was known primarily for playing in the bebop, hard bop and post bop styles from the early 1960s and on...
and has also performed and recorded with the World Saxophone Quartet
World Saxophone Quartet
The World Saxophone Quartet is a jazz ensemble founded in 1977, implementing elements of free funk and African jazz into their musical routines.-History:...
. He toured Europe with the Alvin Ailey
Alvin Ailey
Alvin Ailey, Jr. was an American choreographer and activist who founded the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in New York. Ailey is credited with popularizing modern dance and revolutionizing African-American participation in 20th century concert dance...
Dance Company (1989). He has also performed and recorded with the cross-cultural ensemble No World Improvisations, with Jin Hi Kim
Jin Hi Kim
Kim Jin-Hi is a geomungo player and composer.She is known for introducing the geomungo to the wider world through her contemporary chamber and orchestral compositions and large-scale multimedia pieces, as well as her extensive work in avant-garde and cross-cultural free...
and Joseph Celli
Joseph Celli
Joseph Celli is an American musician and composer specializing in contemporary and improvised music for oboe and English horn...
.
Thiam regularly serves as a consultant for many African projects around the United States and serves as the executive director of the Stone Mountain, Georgia
Stone Mountain, Georgia
Stone Mountain is a city in eastern DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. The population was 5,802 at the 2010 census. It is an outer suburb of the Atlanta Metropolitan Area.-Geography:...
-based Institute for the Study of African Culture.
Thiam's wife is named Kine Gueye Thiam.http://www.konfidence.org/founders.phphttp://memory.loc.gov/diglib/ihas/loc.natlib.ihas.200003748/default.html She is a dancer, and came to the United States in 1972.http://www.konfidence.org/founders.php Thiam's son with Kine, Akon
Akon
Aliaune Damala Badara Thiam, better known as simply Akon , is a Senegalese American R&B recording artist and songwriter.According to Forbes, Akon grossed $21 million in 2010, $20 million in 2009 and $12 million in 2008. He rose to prominence in 2004 following the release of "Locked Up", the first...
(born Aliaune Thiam), is an R&B singer.
Mor Thiam currently lives in Orlando, Florida
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
and performs regularly at Disney's Animal Kingdom
Disney's Animal Kingdom
Disney's Animal Kingdom is an animal theme park located at the Walt Disney World Resort. The fourth park built at the resort, it opened on April 22, 1998, and it is the largest single Disney theme park in the world, covering more than . It is also the first Disney theme park to be themed entirely...
theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort
Walt Disney World Resort
Walt Disney World Resort , is the world's most-visited entertaimental resort. Located in Lake Buena Vista, Florida ; approximately southwest of Orlando, Florida, United States, the resort covers an area of and includes four theme parks, two water parks, 23 on-site themed resort hotels Walt...
.
As sideman
With Don PullenDon Pullen
Don Pullen was an American jazz pianist and organist. Pullen developed a strikingly individual style throughout his career. He composed masterworks ranging from blues to bebop and modern jazz...
and the African Brazilian Connection
- Kele Mou BanaKele Mou BanaKele Mou Bana is an album by American jazz pianist Don Pullen and the African-Brazilian Connection recorded in 1990 for the Blue Note label.-Reception:The Allmusic review by Michael G...
(Blue Note, 1991) - Ode to LifeOde to LifeOde to Life is an album by American jazz pianist Don Pullen and the African-Brazilian Connection recorded in 1993 for the Blue Note label.-Reception:...
(Blue Note, 1993) - Live...Again: Live at MontreuxLive...Again: Live at MontreuxLive...Again: Live at Montreux is a live album by American jazz pianist Don Pullen and the African-Brazilian Connection recorded in 1993 at the Montreux Jazz Festival for the Blue Note label.-Reception:The Allmusic review awarded the album 4 stars....
(Blue Note, 1993)
With the World Saxophone Quartet
World Saxophone Quartet
The World Saxophone Quartet is a jazz ensemble founded in 1977, implementing elements of free funk and African jazz into their musical routines.-History:...
- Metamorphosis (Elektra Musician, 1990)
- Four NowFour NowFour Now is the thirteenth album by the jazz group the World Saxophone Quartet and their first on the Canadian Justin Time label. The album features performances by Hamiet Bluiett, John Purcell, Oliver Lake and David Murray, with guests Chief Bey, Mor Thiam, and Mar Gueye on African drums.-Track...
(Justin Time, 1996)
External links
- Mor Thiam page on Justin Time RecordsJustin Time RecordsJustin Time Records, Inc. is a Canadian independent record label based in Montreal. It was established in 1983 and specialises mostly in jazz and blues...
- Mor Thiam discography at DiscogsDiscogsDiscogs, short for discographies, is a website and database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. The Discogs servers, currently hosted under the domain name discogs.com, are owned by Zink Media, Inc., and are...
- Mor Thiam page on AfricanChorus.org
- Mor Thiam page on L'Observatoire Leonardo des Arts et des Techno-Sciences
- "Mor Thiam: Maverick Drummer Extraordinaire", from The Voice of African Music, a newsletter of the St. Louis African Chorus, v. 5, no. 1 (Winter/Spring 1998)