The Evolution of Djembe - Jazz FM Voices

The leader of the Balimaya Project, Yahael Camara Onono, shares the history of Djembe music, its role within West African Culture, and its influence on music today.

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The Balimaya Project

Led by composer/arranger and leading UK-based Djembe player, Yahael Camara Onono and featuring members of bands including Kokoroko and Seed Ensemble, Balimaya Project intently synthesize and bridge London’s bustling jazz circuit with traditional repertoire and folklore of the Mandé peoples of West Africa, and in turn connect the music’s contemporary and ancestral forbearers.

In their debut album, Wolo So, you can expect driving collective polyrhythms, blazing frontline horns & virtuosic kora stylings collide across this dynamic meeting of traditional Mandé music/culture and contemporary jazz.

To buy their album - visit their Bandcamp page here.