Bolokada Conde and Les Percussions Malinke

Bolokada Conde played djembe before he could walk. As his mother carried him on her back, he would play the rhythms of his Malinke people on her body. She soon found him a drum. Born in Kissidougou, a city in eastern Guinea, West Africa, he was called to Conakry, Guinea’s capital city by Les Percussions de Guinée, one of Guinea’s internationally touring performance groups to be their premiere soloist. Bolokada is renowned in his region, in Guinea, and now in the US as a gifted folklorist and a djembefola – a master of the djembe. For years he toured the US and internationally with Les Percussions de Guinée and gained a worldwide reputation as one of the most exciting and dynamic djembe players alive. He has released two CDs, and is featured on the IMAX movie “Pulse: a STOMP Odyssey”. Bolokada is currently the Musical Director and Premiere Soloist for Les Percussions Malinke, and is based in the California Bay Area, where he performs, teaches and records on projects spanning many genres.