picture courtesy of AZ Drum and Dance
|
Mamadouba "Mohamed" Camara
is
an amazing Drummer, Balafonist, Percussionist, Performer, Dancer,
Teacher & Arranger of Traditional Music from Guinea, West Africa. At a
young age, Mohamed began his musical training in a small village named
Benemousiah. In Benemusiah, he studied intensively the songs and
instruments native to that region. There, he mastered brilliantly the
Bote Drum ( a round wooden "BOWL" drum, with animal skin) & Baba Bells
Small cast iron bells worn on the thumb and played extremely fast). Later, he traveled between the country regions of Boffa, Boke, Forecariah, and the city of Conakry, where he mastered the Djembe Drum, the Krin ( a drum carved from a tree log), the Balafon (a melodic wooden xylophone), the Sikko Drum, (a hand held square drum) and the bass drums played with sticks named: Djun Djun, Songba and Kenkeni. In 1983, he drummed and danced with the well known African band FATALA under the direction of Fode Konte. Then, in 1985, he played traditional Manding music with the ENSEMBLE MANDINGNARA directed by Djeli Mamadou Kande. In 1986, he joined BALLETS MERVEILLES de GUINEA Guinea, directed by Kemoko Sano. In 1988, he toured Europe with BEMBEYA JAZZ INTERNATIONAL which is known to be Guineas first International orchestra. He recorded an album with Bembeya Jazz and Sekou Bambino Diabate. In 1989, he performed with a traditional Guinean music group named WASSAwith Mercery Camara. In 1989, he was selected to be a member of PERCUSSIONS DE GUINEA, the prestigious national drum troupe composed of the seven best percussionists in Guinea. During his six years with Percussions de Guinea, he performed extensively, including two world tours and he also recorded two incredible CDs. In 1989, he formed CLUB NIGA, a music school for children which believes in creating: New Inspirations for the Genius Artistic. There, he trained many young students in all aspects of drumming & percussion. In 1995, he joined KOTEBA ENSEMBLE, where he played djembe, balafon, bote, and krin. In 1998, he toured the United States in a collaboration with RON BROWN DANCE COMPANY KOTEBA ENSEMBLE. Mohamed is an important cultural ambassador of the traditional music & culture of Guinea, West Africa. He continues to teach Master Drum & Dance classes, and he delivers dynamic, explosive performances dedicated to the expression of the African art. |
