Mustapha Tettey Addy

Meet A Real Master Drummer In Africa

We already know and love Mustapha Tettey Addy for his kpanlogo music! He introduced that beautiful Ghanaian drum, rhythm and dance to the West.

The growing fan base proves that the kpanlogo drum is a great, less commercialized alternative to the djembe.

But it's time we get to know Mustapha a little better. In our interview, he told me about how he became...

A Real African Master Drummer 

Mustapha was born into a family of drummers in 1942 and grew up in Avenor, a village of the Ga tribe in Ghana.

Ga traditional drumming is probably the most complicate in Ghana. Mustapha learned these rhythms, songs and dances from his father and older brothers as a young child.

He further deepened his knowledge of traditional music at the University of Ghana and on world tours with Ghana's National Dance Ensemble.

However, it takes more than just a University degree to become a Master Drummer. In fact, the title "Master Drummer" doesn't really exist in the Ga language. A better translation of the African word would be "God's Drummer". 

Recorded albums

Mustapha spent years touring Ghana and the neighboring West African countries. On these trips, he studied the traditional rhythms, dances and ceremonies of the various tribes. The result is a number of recorded African drumming albums.

Here's what's special about them:

• Preserving some of Africa's rich musical heritage
  Without such records, African traditional music may soon disappear.
  
• Available to the world for the very first time
  Some of these rhythms are normally only to be played for kings and chiefs.
  Mustapha obtained special permission of chiefs and elders to record them.

Even today, at the age of 67, Mustapha keeps recording in his home studio. Expect more to be coming from him!

Learn from Mustapha Tettey Addy

Mustapha formed and trained several traditional groups in Ghana and abroad. He spent many years teaching in Europe and North America.

Since the 1980s, students from around the world can visit Mustapha in Ghana. Learning from a real Master Drummer in the traditional environment is an experience that no drum circle or workshop in your country can replace.

His school is open to anyone with a genuine interest in African drumming! Maybe you'll meet him there some day soon?

Exclusive Interview

One afternoon, I stepped into Mustapha's living room while he was watching football on TV, and I asked him for an interview.

Mustapha Tettey Addy is an approachable, kind and wise man, who loves to joke and laugh. But when the truth needs to be told, he's not afraid to risk stepping onto people's toes!

"When you interview me,
you have to know I talk hard!"

And so he did. Some of the things we touched on are:

• what being a Master Drummer is really about

• why George W. Bush could never be a Master Drummer
• the truth about fake African drummers
• the secret meaning of kpanlogo
• what he thinks of white people playing African drums