El Hajj Djeli Mamady Kouyate
Mamady was born in the town of Douako in The Republic of Guinea, West Africa. It is said in Maninka, “jelilu la nònò kendè” or “the milk of the jelilu is healthy”. As a scion of the legendary Kouyate lineage of jelilu, Mamady was raised on the “milk” of this vast wellspring of musical and historical knowledge from his earliest childhood. He was educated extensively in the tariku, as well as on all of the classical Mandè instruments including the kora, ngoni, and balafon. However, he soon began to gravitate toward what was still a relative newcomer to the jeli orchestra- the guitar- for its wider note range and ability to play in chromatic keys. He began to gain success and notoriety as a guitarist participating in various government- sponsored regional music competitions, eventually advancing to the national level and winning a place in some of the top Guinean jazz orchestras of the day, including the famous Horoya Band and Bembeya Jazz National. As a member of these iconic national ensembles, Mamady was afforded the opportunity to tour around the world, sometimes as part of the entourage of President Ahmed Sekou Toure, Guinea’s first president. In 2004, when the political climate in Guinea changed, Mamady sought more stability by emigrating to America. He first lived in New York City, where in 2005 he founded the Mandingo Ambassadors, a Brooklyn-based 9-piece Guinean jazz orchestra reminiscent of the famous jazz bands Mamady had played in during the 60s and 70s. Almost 15 years later, the Mandingo Ambassadors are still an institution in Brooklyn. However, now that he lives in New Haven, Mamady has graciously consented to allow his apprentice, Arouna, to put together a somewhat leaner ensemble so that he might find some engagements a bit closer to home. In addition to his musical work, Mamady also remains steadfast in his responsibility as a guardian of the tariku. In 2017, the Society of Mandèn Djelilu of the Americas elected Mamady to the prestigious position of Jeli Kuntigi, which has been explained above. He frequently appears on Mandè radio programs and news media as an expert guest, and has lectured on history at Yale University and many other institutions.
Mangue Sylla
An electrifying performer with a keen sense of musicality, West African percussionist Mangue Sylla is a musical juggernaut. Originally from Guinea and now based in New York City, Mangue is well versed in both traditional rhythms and contemporary musical styles, and has mastered the full orchestra of traditional Mandènka percussion instruments. His 2007 debut album, Kon Koura, showcases a traditional percussion ensemble performing both folkloric songs and Mangue’s original compositions. His latest project, NOLLER/SYLLA - a collaboration with jazz drummer Jeremy Noller, brings together traditional West African rhythms and contemporary jazz. Mangue began studying music at the age of 7. His early teachers were among the foremost masters of Guinea’s tremendous percussion legacy. With Moussa Bayo and Kanda Kante, Mangue learned the roots of his musical culture, studying the traditional-style drumming that has been passed down for generations in Guinea’s villages. Then with Lancei Kante and Noumody Keita of the famed group Percussions De Guinée, Mangue learned the more contemporary or “ballet-style” drumming. In 1993, while performing at a ceremony, Mangue was noticed by legendary choreographer Kemoko Sano. Sano’s group, Les Merveilles de Guinée, had recently established itself as one of the top ensembles in the country. Upon hearing Mangue once, with no further audition, Sano invited him to join. Mangue toured throughout Africa with Merveilles and remained a member until 1998 when he left Guinea for New York City. Since his arrival in the U.S., Mangue Sylla has become one of the most in-demand teachers and performers of West African drumming. He has performed with Les Ballets Africains, Wula Drum and Dance NYC, Youssouf Koumbassa, Mouminatou Camara, Maguette Camara, M’Bemba Bangoura, and many others. He is a regular teaching artist at many of the countries most popular drum and dance camps. In addition to his busy schedule of performing and teaching, Mangue serves on the accompanist staff at both The Ailey Extension and Barnard College.
Arouna Kouyate
The son of two musicians, Aaron Greenberg was a singer from his earliest childhood, performing in various choirs and ensembles throughout his youth. His study of Mandè music began on percussion, primarily under Mangue Sylla. While accompanying dance classes at the American Dance Festival after just having received his MFA in Fiction Writing, Aaron met the jeli and kora player Amadou Kouyate, and first discovered the jeli tradition as the answer to the question of how to combine his two passions- music and storytelling. He has since studied kora with Boubacar Diebate of Senegal, Yacouba Sissoko of Mali, and Sefoudi Kouyate and Prince Diabate of Guinea. In 2012, Aaron traveled to Guinea with Mangue to continue his studies. It was during this trip that Aaron was given the staggering honor of being called by the name Arouna Kouyate, by which he has since been known among the Mandè people, and being adopted into the Kouyate jeli family. Upon returning from Guinea, Arouna continued to study the Mandè vocal repertoire with some of Guinea’s greatest jelimusolu (female bards)- Aiba and M’Mah Doumbouya, Bebe Camara, and Soba Kante, before finally meeting Mamady Kouyate later in 2012. Mamady’s encyclopedic knowledge of Mandè music and the tariku, as well as his willingness to share that knowledge, transformed the entire course of Arouna’s musical career. Feeling the need to somehow repay the incredible generosity displayed by Mamady and all his teachers in sharing their knowledge with him, Arouna has founded the Tariku Project- a massive undertaking consisting of the live performance ensemble (whose EPK you are now hopefully at least skimming), a podcast, and a YouTube series- all dedicated to elevating Mandè culture, music, and literature, and popularizing it here in the west to create a viable performance platform for his teachers.
Dylan Olimpi McDonnell
Dylan is a working musician and educator in New Haven, CT and specializes in flute and saxophone. He has studied and performed numerous musical styles, including Black American musics (jazz/rnb/soul), dance songs from Southeastern Europe (Bulgaria/Serbia/Macedonia), musics of Indonesia (including gamelan/talempong), and, most relevant to this group, repertoire from West Africa. While completing an undergraduate degree in music, Dylan had the opportunity to spend a semester abroad in Senegal which allowed him to study with a number of musicians, namely ethnomusicologist and balafonist Gabi Bâ and kora player Édou Manga. It was with these instructors that Dylan was first introduced to the epic and praise song styles of the jelis of Manding West Africa, the tambin (flute) style of the Fula people in southern Senegal/Guinea, and the musical/historical bodies of knowledge kept by the géwëls in Wolof communities in the region. Though these mentorships lasted only a couple of months in 2014, Dylan has since had the opportunity to perform material from the Manding repertoire in Connecticut groups like the Lost Tribe, led by drummer/percussionist Jocelyn Pleasant. Dylan is incredibly grateful and excited to be under the direction and tutelage of jeli and master guitarist Mamady Kouyate as a part of Tariku, and looks forward to learning more about the Manding and Fula musical repertoire in all respects as the band progresses.
Frank Brocklehurst
Frank is an active player in the New England music scene. He currently plays with various Salsa, Brazilian, Jazz and Funk groups and has worked in the past with Charles Neville ( Neville Bros ), John Sutters ( James Taylor ) and Rico Lewis ( P-Funk ). Frank received his grade 1 classical music certificate from the Royal Guild Hall of Music in London at age 13, then later studied Jazz and other modern styles of music at Western Connecticut State University.
Matt Dean
Matthew Dean of Bozrah, CT started playing djembe in 1995. He made 4 trips to Guinea, West Africa where he studied under Master Drummers and dancers of the world-renowned Les Ballet Africans, Ballet Djoliba and many more. He has been a featured percussionist in several different touring companies around the United States and Canada. Matthew now lives in CT and plays and teaches djembe for dance classes at local colleges and community centers. He can be seen playing congas, percussion and djembe with Sugar Band a Southeastern CT cover band. Matthew recorded an album called ‘Strut’ with his own band, Rooster, which highlights arrangements of traditional West African rhythms on modern instruments, similar to his work with Tariku. He plays with high energy, big smiles and passion.
Avery Collins
Avery Collins is a graduate of Western Connecticut State University’s Music and Audio Production program with a concentration in percussion. This is his first foray into Mandènka music. He also has a real interest in the Gnawa music of Morocco and Algeria, and is eager to further study African musical styles and history.