Mamady Keita

Mamady Ke?ta, born in August, 1950, is a master djembe drummer from the West African nation of Guinea. He is considered one of the world's foremost djembe players. Ke?ta was born in the small village of Balandugu in northeast Guinea, near the Mali border. His initiation to the djembe started at the early age of seven, under Karinkadjan Kond?, elder djembefola (master djembe player) of Balandugu. Ke?ta was educated in the traditions of his village and initiated into the history and music of the Mandingue people.

Ke?ta was born in the small village of Balandugu in northeast Guinea, near the Mali border. His initiation to the djembe started at the early age of seven, under Karinkadjan Kond?, elder djembefola (master djembe player) of Balandugu. Ke?ta was educated in the traditions of his village and initiated into the history and music of the Mandingue people. At age twelve, he became a member of the first regional federal ballet of Siguiri when Balanka Sidiki, a recruiter for the group, came to Balandugu looking for performers.

In the early 1960s, Guinea's President Ahmed S?kou Tour? put special emphasis on Guinean culture through live performances, sponsoring regional and national competitions to recruit the greatest artists of the land. During the 1964 National Festival, Ke?ta, then 14, along with fifty other percussionists and numerous other artists, was selected by Guinea's Minister of Culture to form Le Ballet National Djoliba, which was intended to serve as a showcase for Tour?'s revolution. After nine months of training, Mamady was one of only five percussionists retained.

Later in 1964, Ke?ta left Balandugu to become a member of the Djoliba Ballet, where he served as lead drummer and soloist until 1979. The group practiced in a special stage constructed for them at the residence of President Tour?. In 1979, Ke?ta became the artistic director of the troupe. During his time, he went on numerous tours throughout the world, performing in West, Central, and East Africa, China, Egypt, Germany, Scandinavia, France, Switzerland, Great Britain, and the Soviet Union.

In 1986, wishing to leave the cocoon formed by the ballet and become a more independent musician, Ke?ta joined Souleymane Koli's troupe, Koteba, in Abidjan.

Mamady Ke?ta moved to Belgium in 1988 and formed the group Sewa Kan, or "sound of joy." His first album, Wassalon, recorded in 1989, focuses on the music of the Wassolon region of Malinke country where he was born.

In 1991, Ke?ta established his own percussion school, Tam Tam Mandingue, literally "drums of the Manding." The school rapidly acquired international renown and opened branches in France, Belgium, Switzerland, Japan, and the United States. In Belgium alone, the school has over 300 students from the beginner to the professional levels.

Mamady and Sewa Kan recorded Nankama in 1992, which explores more of the Mandingue traditions and the traditions of tribes closely related to the Malinke. He followed this with 1995's M?g?balu, which he recorded when he returned to Balandugu and reunited with djembe masters and childhood friends, and 1996's Hamanah, where he alternates solos with Famoudou Konat? on Dununba rhythms.