Badenya

Badenya: Badenya: Manden Jaliya in New York City

by AAJ Staff
October 9, 2002

Let's get the facts straight up front: no jazz here. Why bother to review the music, then? Because it's good. Progressive jazz musicians have long appreciated the musical traditions of Africa, especially West Africa, and especially as they relate to percussion. During the '60s, jazz drummers began to assimilate instruments played with the hands, not with sticks, and as time went on improvising musicians have reached out to include the mbira (thumb piano) and various string instruments as well. A ...