The Healing Drum: African Ceremonial and Ritual Music [Audiobook] [Audio Cassette]

Yaya Diallo (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 1990

Traces the extraordinary cultural legacy of the Minianka tribe of West Africa, for whom music serves a sacred, healing function for the individual and society. This authentic, traditional chanting and singing expresses the full potential for the sacred and the magical in music. Companion audio cassette to the book The Healing Drum.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This is music that hasn't had its wings clipped; music that still possesses the full potential for the sacred and the magical that it had at the beginning of the world."
(Magazine of the Place des Arts )

About the Author

Born in Mali, West Africa, and a member of the Minianka (Bamana) tribe, Yaya Diallo was raised in a culture that works, worships, lives and breathes to the beat of the drum. An instrument for transmitting traditional knowledge among the Minianka, the drum is the focal point of Yaya's life story and his link--through the universal medium of music--with the Western world.

Product Details

• Audio Cassette
• Publisher: Destiny Recordings (December 1, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0892812648
• ISBN-13: 978-0892812646
• Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 2.7 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,413,167 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #46 in Books > Books on Cassette > Nonfiction > Social Sciences > Myth & Folklore

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Traditional music worth sharing!, February 3, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Healing Drum: African Ceremonial and Ritual Music (Audio CD)

If you like traditional and ceremonial music from West Africa, you have to check this one out. Born into a family of musicians and healers, Yaya Diallo brings you authentic music from a dying culture. Djembe, dnounouba, balafons, tama, voice, and other instruments grace this cd with the power of music from a society that depends on music for so many things. Healing, celebrating, working, honoring, mending disputes, you name it. It is music from a people that understand the impact of sound, and the effect sounds have on the listener. Four of the twelve tracks are actual field recordings made in Yaya's native village of Fienso.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Energizing, June 28, 2007

By 

C. Y. Clemente "oreo girl" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Healing Drum: African Ceremonial and Ritual Music (Audio CD)

I was looking for a drumming based CD to aid with my soul expansion and this was extremely helpful. Good centering beats!!!!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful and restorative, February 1, 2011

By 

Kevin M. Lowe - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Healing Drum: African Ceremonial and Ritual Music (Audio CD)

Reviewer J. Sayson writes about this CD, "not much 'entertainment value.'" I am not sure what Sayson means or is looking for. Well, okay, this is not Drums of Passion. Do you expect all African music to sound alike? This is music of Mali, whose cultures are less visible in North America than are those of some other West African nations. This is music of a largely poor nation, music from groups that are struggling to preserve their traditions in the face of global changes.

As Yaya Diallo writes in the liner notes, "Through music we restore health, we mend the rifts in our society, and we replace misery with a powerful joy." Much of this music is meant to do just that. Indeed, much of it is quiet. The first track, "Dji-dnou," is music for the healing spirits of the night. "Niere Yago" honors maternal nurturing. But there are other tracks, including "Don" and "Were," that are more exuberantly celebratory. The inclusion of field recordings of children's songs and games is particularly interesting. After all, what is more healing than the power of play?

Whatever its mood, this music is dexterously played and sung. It is a valuable recording for anyone interested in Mali or West Africa. Finally, do not be confused by Amazon calling this an "abridged audiobook." It is nothing of the sort. It is music to accompany Diallo's book The Healing Drum: African Wisdom Teachings, but it stands perfectly well as music on its own. Highly recommended!