Doudou Ndiaye Rose (born Mamadou Ndiaye 28 July 1930-19 August 2015) was a Senegalese drummer, composer and band leader, and was the recognized modern master of Senegal's traditional drum, the sabar. He was the father of a musical dynasty which includes some of the most successful traditional musicians of contemporary West Africa.

Career

Rose is one of the most renowned African musicians of the 20th century. While he specializes in the sabar, he also plays many other types of drum such as saourouba, assicot, bougarabou, meung meung, lambe, n'der, gorom babass, and khine. The child of a Griot (West African bard caste) family, Ndiaye Rose began performing in the 1930s, but continued to make his living as a plumber for some time. Shortly before Senegalese independence he performed with Josephine Baker, and became a favorite amongst Dakar audiences. In 1960 he made the first head of the Senegalese National Ballet, and in the 1970s with his Doudou Ndiaye Rose Orchestra. He has also collaborated with Miles Davis and the Rolling Stones.

Born in Dakar, he was the founder and chief drum major of the Drummers of West Africa (all members of his family), with which he also performs. He also led an all-female drum group called Les Rosettes, composed entirely of his own daughters and granddaughters.

Styles

Ndiaye Rose was purported to have developed 500 new rhythms, and, indeed, his music is quite complex, featuring ever-changing rhythmic structures which he conducts with his trademark vigorous style. He has also invented new types of drum.

Recorded work

Perhaps his most well-known album, Djabote (Real World CDRW43) features 12 tracks recorded on the Isle of Gorée in March 1991. It was recorded in one week with his group of fifty drummers and the Julien Jouga's Choir, an eighty-member, all-female choir. He has performed with Dizzy Gillespie, Alan Stivell ("Again"), Miles Davis, the Rolling Stones, Peter Gabriel, Kodo and Bill Bruford. He is also featured in the remix of "The Warning" by Nine Inch Nails, which was on the album "Year Zero Remixed". The song was remixed by Stefan Goodchild.

Films

• Djabote: Senegalese Drumming & Song From Master Drummer Doudou Ndiaye Rose (1993). Directed by Béatrice Soulé and Eric Millot. Montpelier, Vermont: Multicultural Media.