A member of Youssou N'Dour's band since the mid-'70s, Assane Thiam is one of the foremost masters of the tama (talking drum), with a reputation for skills on his instrument akin to those of Jimi Hendrix on the guitar. Thiam played an important role in the early development of Senegal's pop-like mbalax music, forming Etoile De Dakar, with percussionist Babacar Faye, in 1975. With the arrival of N'Dour two years later, the group was re-christened Super Etoile De Dakar. In addition to his work with N'Dour, Thiam lent his melodic tama playing to albums by Peter Gabriel, Paul Simon, and Harry Belafone. On his own, he's continued to explore traditional Wolof chanting. Together with his brother, Yamar Thiam, a popular session player in Finland, Thiam formed an 18 piece ensemble of tama players and dancers. ~ Craig Harris, Rovi