Dakar , Senegal ( CNN ) -- Jazz , soul and a blend of rock and roll combine to make Senegalese music sound quite familiar , while the sound of the sabar , a traditional Senegalese drum , keeps the music true to its West African roots . I 'm listening to the mbalax style of music for my latest `` Inside Africa '' assignment : to experience the special sounds of Senegal . Without a doubt , the biggest name in Senegalese drumming is Doudou N'Diaye Rose . He 's almost mythical ; every person I interviewed spoke of him as the `` sabar master . '' With more than forty children and an untold number of grandkids , he 's been performing since the 1930 's , gradually crafting the unique rhythm of this part of the world -- literally with his bare hands . Meeting the legend was not what I expected . At 82 years old he has a small frame and is such a humble person . When we arrived at one of his homes , he was more concerned with our crew eating breakfast than showing off his many accomplishments . Doudou has performed with the Rolling Stones , Miles Davis , at the Cannes Film Festival and has been declared by UNESCO as a `` living human treasure . '' Most of his children learned from him , playing in a traveling orchestra . Even his female grandchildren formed a group , practicing on the rooftop . However , when Dakar 's chief drum major -- who is draped in an elaborate Grand Boubou print -- steps behind his wide array of drums , modesty leaves the room . The beats are complex , quickly changing from soft , rapid taps of the finger tips and palm to loud strikes by the galan , or stick . Strings pull the shaved goatskin surface tight and , by twisting a series of cylindrical pegs , each drum can be tuned just like a guitar . Doudou explains that what I 'm hearing is more than music -- it 's a beautiful language reminiscent of his childhood in the Plateau district . A time when certain types of drums would be used to communicate certain ideas ; calm , joyful messages for wedding ceremonies , or exciting , encouraging sounds for young men heading off to battle . See also : Senegal island exposes horrors of the slave trade . Today , younger Senegalese artists are taking the Doudou sound and modernizing it . He often appears as a special guest on stage with artists like Coumba Gawlo -- currently one of the best selling female singers in the country . When I watched her performing , she was serenading crowds in the local language of Wolof , belting out the mbalax sound as she was being lowered in a golden cage onto a smoke-filled stage . But even next to a curvaceous woman wearing a sparkling dress , Doudou holds his own -- an octogenarian with as much stage presence as a pop star . From inside a lively recording studio elsewhere in town I find more local artists who cite Doudou as their inspiration . Daara J Family is a group made up of Faada Freddy and Ndongo D , plus the support of drummers , electric guitar players and a keyboardist . The sound is eclectic ; I can hear Jamaican reggae influences in their beats and in Ndongo D 's fast rapping style . Faadda Freddy tells me that in songs like `` Bayi Yoon , '' they pull from the South African vocal tradition , essentially sampling from every place they 've toured . Local history is important to them as well . On Daara J Family 's second album they included a song about Senegal 's Goree Island as a modern way of discussing the trans-Atlantic slave trade . But mostly , the group is optimistic and forward-looking . Ndongo D explains to me that while they pull from the Doudou-created Senegalese sound they want to include more aspects of music in the African diaspora because `` we all came from Africa , and then went to different horizons to settle . '' Their aim is to connect with people globally . See also : Beach life gives a taste of real Senegal . On this journey of discovery , it 's becoming more apparent to me that music has been a powerful form of communication , expression and family bonding in Senegal . Getting to a place of a strong , almost spiritual connection is what mbalax is really about - even though it might sound quite foreign to many of us . It was a privilege to meet Doudou ( and even get a personal lesson in drumming ) , wonderful to see traditional music get a contemporary twist , and eye-opening to see West African artists reaching out to the rest of the world . Faada Freddy summed up my impressions best : `` Being African is not a matter of color -- it 's about heart . ''
Mbalax , combining jazz , soul , and rock with traditional beats , is the dance music of Senegal . The godfather of the scene is the 82-year-old drummer Doudou N'Diaye Rose . His instrument is the sabar , the traditional drum played with the hand and a stick . Younger generations are fusing the sound with new influences to reach international audiences .