FEATURED VENDOR
Djembe Drums & Skins
Cape Coral, Florida
If you are are looking for a huge selection of jembe's and
goat skins and other drummers delights, then this is the place for you. Shorty has a large stock of good Afrikan jembes and quality African gost skins.
In addition, he stocks rope, rope grips, varying qualities of drum bags, cow skins, and more.
GoatSkins.com
More Vendor Reviews
How to Re-Head a Djembe
By: Shorty Palmer
Join Shorty Palmer of Djembe Drum and Skins as he takes you through a step by step demonstration of applying a new goat
skin head onto a rope tuned drum. Shorty certainly knows what he is doing when it comes to skinning an Afrikan Jembe. As
a veteran drummer of 12 years, even I picked up a few tips and tricks.
This DVD is now available!!
Click Here to go to the website and order.
C.D. Reviews
Doudou Ndiaye Rose - DJ Abote
Who needs booze when you have Doudou?!?!
There are many things that stick out about this album but at the top of my list is FEEL. Doudou and his ensemble
produce such dizzy drunk time that one must sit down or stumble as they listen. The way that the notes are placed in time makes you wonder which
note the players are intending on hitting. The solos that wobble over top of this vertiginous pocket are equally befuddling.
This swimmy movement comes, in part, from the liberal use of pulse sub-division. Indeed, the players blur the
lines of time and leave you grasping....
Combine this dizzy time with compositional movement, syncronized changes and the fact that Doudou must be playing with 30
drummers and I am left in awe that so many players can play with such drunkeness and be in the same place. The sound is HUGE.
Beware, this music digs a pocket straight to the core of the earth and seduces you to fall all the way down.... or it will
piss you off.
Reviewed by: Christopher Austin
Omar Sosa - Sentir
Loose structures and basic themes make up the foundation for in-the-moment interaction. This seems to be a primary focus
for Omar on this album. Lots of space. Lots of room to explore whatever theme is present. I do not think that any of the
players hit the ceiling of what is available, but that also means that no one over plays. Most everyone comfortably
occupies the space that they are in.
Everything is built upon sparsely populated, Afro-Cuban based percussion grooves played on Latin instruments with the
occasional darabouka inserted. The bass parts are mostly unremarkable save the comfortable groove and tasteful interaction.
Piano is the primary solo instrument and Omar plays beautifully and rhythmically, often moving from a latin foundation into small
moments of dense improvisation or interaction with the percussion or vocals. Very comfortable.
The vocals range from Latin based phrases and singing to American hip-hop/rap/spoken word to Middle-Eastern styles. The Latin and Middle-Eastern
styles fit very well into the music. However, I find the rap to be, somewhat, out of place. The thing I notice the most is there
seems to be a "disharmony" between the way the M.C. is presenting his material and the rest of the music. Almost
as if his material is more important. I do not get this sense from the other vocalists, they blend and weave very well with
the other players.
All in all, a very comfortable and listenable album.
Reviewed by: Christopher Austin