Sabar by Rambax
Dec. 12th, 2003 11:27 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
magidYears ago, I had a book called Bola and the Oba's Drummers. It's about a boy in [somewhere not specified, but likely western] Africa growing up in a family of citrus growers, who discovers he wants to drum. I read it more times than I can remember, reading about how he learns on the sly, progressing from the simplest drum to the more complicated ones, which have different sticks, or even straps, and make different sounds, the different voices of talking drums. He goes out with his drummer friend during a holiday, using a borrowed drum to praise the people they encounter, trying to earn enough coins (pressed onto the drummer's forehead) to buy a drum of his own. It fascinated me, being so wholly strange from my life.
Last night, I finally got to hear talking drums! I went to a performance by Rambax MIT, including artist-in-residence Lamine Toure (I don't know how to make an accent egu on the last e), who is a Senegalese master drummer (a griot!) (Why MIT and not, say, the Berklee school of music? I don't know.). Wow. Just, Wow. Or perhaps, waaw waaw!
It was amazing. The group came out in a line, slowly dancing and drumming their way onto the stage, then sat on three sides of the stage, with Lamine in the center. They were all dressed in blue and white patterned long tunics and pants, which allowed arm movement and a place for the drums to rest between the legs. Lamine wore a different pattern, and jewelry, most of his braids tied back.
These drums are played with a simple stick (which looked like a less-flexible sort of willow or something) in one hand, using the other hand as another way to hit the drum. It's impressive to see fifteen people all moving in unison, even for a simple rhythm tapped out on a drum peg.
It's compelling music, and Lamine encouraged the audience to clap, to repeat the Wolof words to songs, to get up and dance. Wolof is a liquid sort of language, with lots of vowel sounds, also the 'chet' sound used in Hebrew. One highlight for me was hearing what he'd said, and then hearing those syllables in the beat of the drums. It was really there, a drum talking :-).
Towards the end, Lamine's brother came up from the audience, bringing his tiny drum with him. It strapped over one shoulder, pretty much in his armpit, and the stick had a bend and a sort of button at the end (and his hand for counterpoint; it looked awkward to play like that, but he seemed fine). The sound was extremely different, rounder, more liquid, more like a voice. Somehow the shape of the sounds made me think of the shape of a milkdrop through its splash.
At times most of the audience was on their feet, dancing in place or up in front. There were also three women as guest dancers (Bai Kamar, Ziyadah Komfum, and Kilola Maishya), who were incredibly impressive and expressive, moving their knees just so with the drum beat, doing complicated vigorous jumping figures. I should have so much energy! There were some other Senegalese women in the audience who danced as well. Just amazing to watch. (I need to go back to the African dance class at the Dance Complex!)
Oh, and at least a couple people pressed money onto Lamine's forehead, the first time I've seen that done, rather than just reading about it. Dollar bills don't stick too well, but stay a little while, especially on the forehead of a probably-sweating drummer :-).
Rambax MIT is an ensemble dedicated to learning the art of sabar, a vibrant drum and dance tradition of the Wolof people of Senegal, West Africa. (The name "rambax" is a vocal mnemonic for a signature sabar rhythm.) In Senegal, sabars are played exclusively by griots, a caste of hereditary musicians. Sabar drum troupes perform at a variety of events, from neighborhood dance parties to baptisms, weddings, and wrestling matches.
The sabar ensemble consists of numerous parts that come together to creat complex polyrhythms. The accompaniment parts included the mbalax (basic accompaniment), tungune (plyed on the smallest drum), tulli, and talmbat (two bass drum parts). These accompaniments create the fabric upon which the lead drummer solos and the rest of the ensemble plays bakks (musical phrases).
edit, 1520
How could I forget to mention that Lamine said his English name is James Brown?
And the wish that I'd been comfortable enough in a crowd knowing no one to go up and dance with the people in front.
Last night, I finally got to hear talking drums! I went to a performance by Rambax MIT, including artist-in-residence Lamine Toure (I don't know how to make an accent egu on the last e), who is a Senegalese master drummer (a griot!) (Why MIT and not, say, the Berklee school of music? I don't know.). Wow. Just, Wow. Or perhaps, waaw waaw!
It was amazing. The group came out in a line, slowly dancing and drumming their way onto the stage, then sat on three sides of the stage, with Lamine in the center. They were all dressed in blue and white patterned long tunics and pants, which allowed arm movement and a place for the drums to rest between the legs. Lamine wore a different pattern, and jewelry, most of his braids tied back.
These drums are played with a simple stick (which looked like a less-flexible sort of willow or something) in one hand, using the other hand as another way to hit the drum. It's impressive to see fifteen people all moving in unison, even for a simple rhythm tapped out on a drum peg.
It's compelling music, and Lamine encouraged the audience to clap, to repeat the Wolof words to songs, to get up and dance. Wolof is a liquid sort of language, with lots of vowel sounds, also the 'chet' sound used in Hebrew. One highlight for me was hearing what he'd said, and then hearing those syllables in the beat of the drums. It was really there, a drum talking :-).
Towards the end, Lamine's brother came up from the audience, bringing his tiny drum with him. It strapped over one shoulder, pretty much in his armpit, and the stick had a bend and a sort of button at the end (and his hand for counterpoint; it looked awkward to play like that, but he seemed fine). The sound was extremely different, rounder, more liquid, more like a voice. Somehow the shape of the sounds made me think of the shape of a milkdrop through its splash.
At times most of the audience was on their feet, dancing in place or up in front. There were also three women as guest dancers (Bai Kamar, Ziyadah Komfum, and Kilola Maishya), who were incredibly impressive and expressive, moving their knees just so with the drum beat, doing complicated vigorous jumping figures. I should have so much energy! There were some other Senegalese women in the audience who danced as well. Just amazing to watch. (I need to go back to the African dance class at the Dance Complex!)
Oh, and at least a couple people pressed money onto Lamine's forehead, the first time I've seen that done, rather than just reading about it. Dollar bills don't stick too well, but stay a little while, especially on the forehead of a probably-sweating drummer :-).
Rambax MIT is an ensemble dedicated to learning the art of sabar, a vibrant drum and dance tradition of the Wolof people of Senegal, West Africa. (The name "rambax" is a vocal mnemonic for a signature sabar rhythm.) In Senegal, sabars are played exclusively by griots, a caste of hereditary musicians. Sabar drum troupes perform at a variety of events, from neighborhood dance parties to baptisms, weddings, and wrestling matches.
The sabar ensemble consists of numerous parts that come together to creat complex polyrhythms. The accompaniment parts included the mbalax (basic accompaniment), tungune (plyed on the smallest drum), tulli, and talmbat (two bass drum parts). These accompaniments create the fabric upon which the lead drummer solos and the rest of the ensemble plays bakks (musical phrases).
edit, 1520
How could I forget to mention that Lamine said his English name is James Brown?
And the wish that I'd been comfortable enough in a crowd knowing no one to go up and dance with the people in front.