We are now offering Jeli Dunun as part of our Lightweight Line of Dunun. Jeli Dunun are often associated with the Khassonké ethnic group of Mali's Kayes Region. It is an extremely popular instrument played throughout Mali and Burkina Faso.  It can be played as the primary bass drum in an ensemble similar to other dunun, or it can be played as a solo instrument to the dance. It's played standing up and it is generally hung by a strap over the shoulders of its player. A Jeli or Khassonké  bell is hung from the other hand and played simultaneously by striking it with a ring on your thumb. Jeli dunun are always headed with goat skin rather than cow and are played with a curved stick. 

The shell used for this drum has been built 100% out of North American Hardwoods via a state-of-the-art stagger seam lamination process. The shell has the look of a solid exotic hardwood yet the majority of the shell is built out birch, a more readily available wood. This is the perfect shell for this instrument as it is an extremely light weight drum, ideal for standing and playing. The thin shell greatly enhances the desired punchy sound of a Jeli Dunun.

DSD Comment:  Our Jeli Dunun come with an innovative feature in which we utilize tiny grommets for each area in which the skin is sewn. This is a new approach to this instrument which removes any concern of the goat skin "tearing out" during tuning, a common concern with dunun headed with goat skin.