About Dave

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Dave Kobrenski is an artist, musician, and author of three books, including his most recent book, a narrative memoir titled Finding the Source.

Between 2001 and 2016, Dave traveled extensively in West Africa to study traditional music with master musicians, including Famoudou Konaté, Sayon Camara, Nansady Keita, and more. His apprenticeship with Lanciné Condé, a master of the Malinké flute tradition, lasted for fifteen years until Lanciné’s untimely death in 2021.

Dave plays the Fulani flute, kamale ngoni (a 10-string Mande harp), djembe, and balafon with his main music project, called Afroflute. Kobrenski has also performed throughout the Northeast with various projects, including pianist Jed Wilson, Donkilo Afro Jazz, Sayon Camara and Landaya, and occasionally collaborates with Barika from Burlington, VT.

As an artist, Dave conveys his love for culture and diversity in his vivid portrait drawings and rich watercolor paintings. His artwork can be seen in his first two books, Djoliba Crossing and Drawing on Culture.