Uasuf Gueye

Since beginning his study of West African music at a very young age, Uasuf Gueye has devoted his life to being a cultural ambassador who brings African music and culture to people around the world and connects the African diaspora. His expansive repertoire encompasses West African traditional music and his own original compositions, many of which combine the rhythmic sounds of West African music with bluesy themes and jazzy riffs. A skilled drummer, balafon player, and instrument craftsman, Gueye’s extensive performance experience has established him as a true master of his craft.

• A DC native, Gueye has performed at both the Smithsonian Institution and the Kennedy Center.
• Gueye has served as a teacher’s assistant to AIR alumnus Amadou Kouyate at the University of Maryland and Montgomery College. He has also conducted a clinic at the Berklee School of Music in Boston, Massachusetts.
• Gueye plays 6 instruments including balafon (the African ancestor of the xylophone), ngoni (the African ancestor of the banjo), tama (talking drum), djembe, dundun (the bass side of the Djembe played with sticks), and the manding guitar.