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THE NEW TALKING DRUMS WITH ABRAHAM K. ADZENYAH

(A/K/A Productions)

Adzenyah is a traditional West African drummer/bandleader who teaches at Wesleyan University and has inspired his students to join his various ensembles. The eight tunes here are divided between multitracked percussion compositions by Adzenyah and high-life tunes from Ghana performed by the drummer's 10-piece band. The Adzenyah tracks soon grow tedious, since the sparks created by a community of distinct drumming personalities are absent. But the ensemble tracks, featuring two saxophonists and trumpeter, are steeped in uncanny African tones -- sour/sweet, wry, and full of peppery accents. Adzenyah's drumming draws the horns out, establishing a lively crosstalk. (Write to A/K/A Productions, Box 8090, Middletown, Connecticut 06457.)

-- Norman Weinstein