Percussions.org

[The Boss]

Not long to go no w! Adama Dramé's new Cd is due out on 6 March. A Cd event presenting the new repertoire of one of today's greatest percussionists. From drumming (djembé) to singing, from traditional to modern. Adama Dramé, a present-day griot , accompanied by 15 musicians, sings of his travels, his encounters, his country - and of Africa, his continent. The new album we've all been waiting for!

Adama Dramé was born in 1954 in Nouna (Province of Kossi), Burkina-Faso, into a family of musicians and storytellers, guardians of the jeli (griot) tradition. Adama Dramé is a virtuoso exponent of the Malinké drum known as djembé. He has been a professional musician since the age of twelve. He proclaims his African identity and his faithfulness to African tradition through his music, his rhythms, his compositions and his improvisations. Adama Dramé is a modern griot who communicates his love for tradition and for Africa on stages all over the world. Since 1979 he and his djembé have appeared at numerous festivals in Europe and North America, as well as in his native Africa. Africa, where his family lives, is still his only real home. Africa, the inexhaustible source of his inspiration. Since 1993 he has made regular appearances with Marc Vella (at venues including The New Morning and L'Olympia in Paris).

In 1999 he made an extensive tour of Europe, coinciding with the release of his last recording, "Le Géant du Djembé", an album resulting from a creation with Royal de Lux in Nantes entitled "La Parade des Géants".