Dahui

Dahui Ensemble du Rhythm (pronounced dah-wee) is a word from the Susu people of Guinea, West Africa. Dahui is also a core group of musicians who came together through studying West African Rhythms. Members of the core group have made various pilgrimages to Guinea to study the djembe and dunun drums with the Masters. During the first trip a couple of us took together we were frequently referred to as "dahui" by our Sousou hosts. They seemed to be haveing a laugh at our expense. Turns out, "dahui" means crazy in the Sousou language and they meant it as a term of endearment and acceptance. We quickly felt comfortable returning the compliment.

Shortly after returning to Chicago we had a scheduled performance and realized we had no name for our group. "Dahui" seemed like the natural choice, because it somehow summed up our feelings about our new relationship with the people and traditions of a very old cuture. Absorbing the wisdom and depth of traditional West Afrcian rhythms is surely becoming our life-long pursuit.

As humble students, we would like to express our deep gratitude to our various teachers, each from a slightly different and unique West African tradition.

Very special thanks to: Mamady Keita, Gbanworo Keita, Famoudou Konate, M'Bemba Bangoura, Michael Markus, Madou Dembele, and Yaya Kabo.