Sogbety Diomande was born in the village of Toufinga, a small farming community located in the Northwest region of the Ivory Coast near the border of Guinea in Africa. He started his career as a drummer and dancer at a very early age. He has toured with Ballet National de Cote d’Ivoire; been a member of Kotchegna Dance Company, Mask Dance Company, and has been featured with many troupes in NYC and around the US. Sogbety started his own troupe in 2005. During the Spring and Summer of 2000 Sogbety toured with Jimmy Buffett's 'No Passport Required' tour as the opening act. For most of 2001 Sogbety was a resident artist at Disney World in Orlando, FL where he performed at Harambe African Village with Kobake, an impressive Ivoirenne quartet. Sogbety tours occasionally with Jim Donovan's Drum the Ecstatic but spends most of his time in Ohio doing drumming residencies and performances for schools, libraries, correctional facilities and festivals. In 2008 he gathered together a troupe of 10 talented musicians and dancers to headline the Lotus World Music Festival in Bloomington, IN. He started his own festival in 2006 called Sogbety Diomande's West African Celebration where he brings master drummers and dancers together in rural Ohio to teach and perform at his 3-day drum and dance camp. #1. Alloukou- A circle dance performed and enjoyed by the young people in the village at night. The Mahouka words are about young lovers. Mahouka is Sogbety’s tribal language. Sogbety- vocals, bade, bougarabou, shekere, djembes #2. Kierno’s Song Kierno Diabate- balaphon Jennifer Vincent- cello Dan Aran- drumset #3. Tiboclalo- Men’s dance. Sogbety- doundoun solo, djembe solo and accompaniment, bougarabou, tongue drum #4. Yeyelor- Woman’s dance involving village banking traditions. Sogbety- bade, doundoun, bougarabou, vocals Anton Denner- flute #5. Bademalor- Mahouka woman’s festive dance. Sogbety- doundoun, bade, bougarabou, djembes Kierno Diabate- balaphon Tra Bi Lizie- djembe solo #6. Wele- Yacouba people’s call and response celebration or funeral dance. Sogbety- vocals, bougarabou, doundoun, bade, djembe #7. Rainforest Birds Sogbety- vocals, shekere, bade, talking drum Anton Denner- flute Jennifer Vincent- cello, bass #8. Boye- Dance for working in the garden, planting. Sogbety- doundoun, bougarabou, djembe, bell Tony DeVivo- bongo #9.Sleeping Song Sogbety- shekere, doundoun, djembe, bade Kierno Diabate- balaphon Anton Denner- flute Dan Aran- drumset #10. Ah, Toufinga!- Traditional song arranged by Sogbety for his family in his village. Sogbety- bade, shekere,vocals Jennifer Vincent- cello Tony DeVivo- bongo #11. Kuku Traditional fishing dance. Sogbety-vocals, doundoun, djembe accompaniment, bougarabou, shekere Ibrahima Kolipe Camara- djembe solo #12. Babelon- Acrobat dance. Sogbety- djembe, vocals, bade, doundoun, bougarabou Dan Aran- drumset Thanks to: Tom Morrow for helping me begin this whole process of making my first CD. Drew Murray for all his help at New Dimension Studios. Randy Crafton at Kaleidoscope Sound. Melanie and Fate; 'Boss' Dan; Jenny, Lisa, Kim, Kate, Corina, Tammy, and Wahru- for all the love and support in Ohio. My Uncle Vado Diomande for bringing me from the village to Abidjan to be a part of his group, Kotchegna, and for bringing me to America. Bley Zagae for everything he did for me. All the musicians that performed on this CD. My family in the Ivory Coast who love me too much. This recording is dedicated to my family. All songs arranged by Sogbety Diomande Produced by Sogbety Diomande Mixing Consultant/ Jennifer Vincent Album design and photography by Melanie Seaman Recording/Mixing/ Mastering Randy Crafton Kaleidoscope Sound 514 Monastery Place Union City, NJ 07087 201-233-2868 Recording/Drew Murray New Dimension Studios 962 Douglas Drive Wooster, OH 44691 330-264-0778 info@newdimensionstudios.net Sogbety Diomande sogbety@live.com 419-522-5058