Album Notes

The Sixth release from Kanaga System Krush. A Fair Trade World Music label featuring Traditional and Contemporaray West African musicians.We have been recording in Mali the last four years. Our label is dedicated to preserving Traditional music form Mali. We have raised the bar in field recording with professional multi track digital recordings, which are then mixed at one of the top studios in Northern California. At the same time,we are all over the modern music scene playing, studying, and recording. We feel this gives us a fresh more inside perspective for producing Traditional ansd Contemporary music form some of Mali's most talented artists.

Ibrahima Sarr was born February 2, 1962 in Bamako, Mali. His grandfather migrated from Senegal while helping build the railroad from Dakar to Bamako along the Niger. As a student of Souleyman Kone, Moriba Keita, and Mahamane Samake, he spent his first two years specializing in Konkoni playing. (The highest in pitch of the three bass drums.) One day, Ibrahima refused to play Konkoni, because he wanted to play djembe accompaniment. From that day on, he began to study djembe with Moriba Keita, despite his father’s strong objections to his son playing music, which forced him to hide his studies from his family. After a total of 9 years of studying with Moriba Keita, he began to venture out on his own as a soloist for wedding ceremonies. Around this time he was hired by the Ballet Malian as an accompaniment player to the famed François Danbele, whom he later replaced as lead soloist for the troupe. In 1983, the national Ballet was split into two bands, formation A and formation B, and Ibrahima became soloist for formation B. This eventually became the Troupe Babemba where he and master djembe player Abdoul Doumbia played together.

In 1986 Ibrahima left Troupe Babemba and joined troupe Joliba Percussion which went on to tour Europe, Africa and the Caribbean Islands. From 1990-1995 he was the lead djembe player for famed Wassoulou singer Oumou Sangaré, accompanying her on world tours. In 1995, he joined the Domba Ensemble, headed by the former director of the Ballet National, Niji Diakite. In 2004, Ibrahima created his own percussion ensemble called Danaya Percussion Presents Ibrahima Sarr. It is, by far, one of the best, and most organized, groups playing ceremonies in Bamako today. These days Ibrahima is in constant demand as a player and regularly teaches students from around the world.