FTX-803 (incl 808) - ENKOITO

African Instruments - Drums

This introduction to African drumming provides examples of the various DRUM RHYTHMS commonly used in Africa and the different types of drums employed. Also featured are the various MESSAGE and TALKING drums and the way they are used.

1. (RAYA. Tanzania). ENKOITO - Five Haya men, Salema, Bugabo, Bukoba, 1952. On a set of 5 Enkoito drums (1) Mpero - smallest with 8 inch membrane, (2) Ntimbo, the starter, the drum on which the basic rhythm is maintained (10-12"membrane), (3) A pair of Nyikirizo, which beat the main pulses (similar in size to the Ntimbo) and (4) Nyaminycko, the bass drum on which free syncopations are played (12-18" membrane) -TR-146(A6) - 1'42"

2. (LUBA, Zaire). MAMBALA - Five Luba drummers, Bakwanga, Kabinda, Kasai rec. Cite Indigene, Jodotville, Zaire, 1957. Five goblet-shaped drums, weighted with wax, one double bell, one basket rattle and a whistle - TR-40 (Al) - 2'16"

3. (LALA, Zambia). FWANDA-FWANDA - Five Lala drummers from Serenje district with 3 drums, stick, whistles & rattle, 1957. Akanono, Cimbulunge, and fwanda-fwanda, each drum has a distinctive tone. The dancers provide shrill accompaniment with tin-whistles - TR-21(B3) - 1'41"

4. (NYAMWEZI. Tanzania). MANYANGA - Three drummers at Ndono, Tabora, 1950. Two laced drums provide rhythmic bass and a goblet-shaped drum the syncopation. The different tones by varying the stroke; the sharp sound by striking the membrane with loose fingers; the muted sound by closed hand, & the raised note by pressure on the membrane by means of the elbow - TR-148 (A3) - 1'25"

5. (SENA'TONGN Rhodesia). NGOROROMBE - Saini Madera with two drummers af Mkota, Myoko, 1958 TR-85 (BI) on four drums: (1) Mutumba, open, conical 37"tall with 11"membrane; (2) Jenje, open-cylindrical 14" tall on three legs with 10" head; (3) Miningo or Karipi-karipi, is another open conical 25" tall with 9" head; (4) Usindi, closed, 11" tall with 7 1/2" head. The leader played both Mutumba and Jenje, pressing the membrane of the latter with his heel to raise and lower the pitch, the other two drums being played with sticks. - 4'01"

6 & 7. (TUTSI. Rwanda) - Royal Drums of the Omwami of Rwanda played by Sehene & Royal drummers at Nyanza. Here are two examples of their many drum tattoos called Zirasuka & Ikitjishya played on 4 laced drums of different sizes: (1) Nyahura 34" tall with 14" membrane - (2) Ndibushuba 36" with 21" - (3) Ntajishika 40" with 28" - (4) Warugurubibi 21" with 10" high-toned time-keeper - 2'08" & 2'37"

8. (KANYOKA. S. Zaire) -"Calling people to come" - Kasadi Celestin, Kandakanda, Kabinda, 1957 TR-l5 (B1) on a hondo, slit-drum. At the collector's request, the drummer spoke the words of his message as he played in order to demonstrate the tone sequences. Normally the sequence of the message is not broken into phrases as on this recording. The Chondo was a small portable wooden slit-drum (24" long x 12" diameter) hollowed out through a slit with a rectangualar hole at either end. The drum was placed on an insulating ring of wound brass. The same drum is also used for dances. - 1'14"

DRUM SIGNALS

9. (MANGBELE. N. Zaire) - Drummers of Chief Mongika, Gombari, Ituri 1952 TR-129 (A2, 3 & 4) Drum signals, like bugle calls, are pre-arranged rhythmic phrases which, through association, convey a general but not a particular piece of information. Thus these drum signals would not tell the distant hearers whom they were to fight or who had died, but only the general indication of fighting or death. Drum messages, on the other hand, would be able to convey considerable detail through the use of synonyms, the tones of which are directly related to the ones of the spoken words. Away from the Congo river itself it appears that the art of sending drum messages deteriorates into the sending of signals only, the former being based upon the tonality of the individual words comprising the sentences transmitted, the latter comprising pre-set phrases and rhythms to which certain significance is attached. The signals may have arisen from messages in the past but the skill of "talking" on the drums has almost, if not entirely, vanished among the Mangbele - (a) "A Call to Fight" - (b) "The Chief summons his people" (c) "To announce death" - 2'00"

10. (NYORO. Uganda) KWEBEMBERA MUKAMA (Drums for a Royal occasion) - The Ntimbo Royal drummers at Klkali, Hoima on 3 Ntimho drums. TR-133 (A4) 1950. These small goblet-shaped drums are held under the arm and have water lizard membranes which give a bright sharp tone when played with the hands. This articular tattoo was used to 'drum' the Mukama of Bunyora when he walked from his house to the Council Chamber - 1'19"

TUNED DRUMS

11. (ZARAMO. Tanzania). MITAMBO ALAGALA KUMCHUZI - Zaramo men aV ar-es-Salaam with 9 tuned drums. 1950 TR-158 (B5) . These drums were made from mukongo wood and careful1y tuned by wetting and heating before a fire. The pitches of the 4 drums used by the leader were 840, 672, 568 & 464 vps. This extract was preliminary to the Madogoli dance - 0'45"

12. (GANDA. Uganda). KYUMA - The Entenga Royal Drummers at Lubili Palace, Mengo, Kampala, 1950 TR-137 (B5). A set of 15 tuned drums. These conical laced drums are tuned to the 10 octaves of a pentatonic scale with three dditional bass drums. Four of the 6 drummers lay 3 drums each and the bass drummers play two and one drum respectively. They play a number of tunes and it appears that the technique is similar to that used for the Ganda akadinda and inda xylophones. The players first set the rhythm by beating their light drum sticks on the sides of the drums - 1'41"

13.. (MANGANJA. Malawi). LIKHUBA - Bauleni Zhuau and 3 drummers at Malindi, Port Herald, 1958 TR-88(A3) - Nine 9 tuned drums. The leader plays the top 5 and sometimes the 6th drum as well. One man plays nos. 6 & 7 and two players the two bass drums nos.8 & 9. The names of the drums from treble to bass were Gogogo (388 vps); four Usindi drums (324, 264, 228, and 194 vps. which made up the scale; Nduisi (162 s); Usonjo (132 vps); Ntewe (118 vps); and Egunte (approx. 97 vps). All the drums were tuned with castor oil wax, the wax being removed orn the membranes after playing. It was said to spoil the membrane if left on too long. - 1'16"

14.(YOGO. N. Zaire). CONGO BEREJI 2.15 Ebi dance by Yogo men & women, Mabozo, Paulis,1952. TR-18 (B1). 5 slit drums, two laced drums, double bell and small bells. Of the 5 slit drums there were 3 cylindrical, carved from whole logs of wood, and two were pod-shaped. Chief Anga led the dance song. -2.

15. (MEDJE. N.Zaire). NADU 2.01 A marriage dance by Medje men at Ebandrombi, Paulis, 1952 with drums, metal bell, basket rattles and hand bell. Four of the drums were laced membrane drums and the other five slit drums of various sizes. The laced drums were Nabita, bass slit drum; Nedundu, small slit drums; Emandru, the double metal bell, Negbongbo and the basket rattles, Nezeza, all of which are onomatopoeic and descriptive of the sounds they make. TR-120 (A1)

16 . (BUUDU. N Zaire). YANDO 1.50 by Buudu men at Gombe, Wamba, 1952 with 3 slit drums, 2 conical drums, hand bells, basket rattles and ivory horn. The conical drums had membranes made from elephant's ears. TR- 126 (A3)

17. Ndono, Tabora, 1950. This item demonstrates the sound of the acrobatic step dance which accompanies #4. TR-149 (B1).

The success of the late Dr. Hugh Tracey's original first selection of his own recordings prompted him to make second choices of outsanding performances. Here there are 14 tracks demonstrating a wide variety of different types of instruments from large slit drums to the smaller laced goblet drums used in the Praise Tattoos of the Ntimbo and Entenga Royal Drummers.

18. (ABANGBA. N. Zaire) YANGO NA MOBANGI. Egba Funeral dance performed by Abangba men and women. Niangara District, near the town of Watsa; Zaire.1952. TR-118 (A2) "I am old and no-one cares for me any longer" - 3'04"

19. (ABANGBA. N. Zaire) EBI - Egba Funeral dance performed by Abangba men and women. Niangara District near the town of Watsa; Zaire.1952 TR-118 (A3) The drum rhythms for the Ebi Dance were recorded in the N.E. of Zaire The drums are guda-guda or gula, slit drums and ndima or ngabi, conical laced drums: (the former name is in the Lingala language and the latter in Abangba). The slit drums are hollowed out of a solid log of wood, the two flanks of which are of different thickness thus producing two tones of higher and lower pitch. For this reason they are also used for messages and signals. They are played with sticks or rubber-headed beaters, the latter being used for the lower pitch notes. The conical laced drums are common to this part of central Africa and are made of two membranes of a cow or antelope hide laced together with rawhide thongs over a tapered, hollowed body of wood. The larger end only is struck either with two sticks or stick and hand, or with both hands, whichever is the local preference. The instruments are introduced in turn, first two slit drums at 0.09 and 0.16, then two conical drums at 0.23 and 0.44, both played with sticks; next the third player with stick and hand at 0.05 and lastly two bagwase axe and at 1.20 the hoe blades - 2'59"

20. (YOGO. N.Zaire) MAKUNDA ZIMAYE - Ebi dance song with one large and two small cylindrical slit drums, two pod-shaped slit drums, two large conical laced drums and a double metal bell, performed by Mayogo men and women led by Chief Anga, N. Zaire,1952. TR-118 (A4) The conical laced drums have membranes made from elephant's ears. The small slit drums were each made out of a log, a half section forming the body and the other half cut away to form four legs, in section the hollowed body being semi-circular or triangular. The pod-shaped slit drums are from a semicircle of wood with 12"-14" radius. The double bell is hand-forged on a single U-shaped stem, each bell with a different note. It is played by rocking it to and fro on the ground, and striking each bell alternately. The bell which is temporarily in the air is struck with a metal beater but immediately muted when in contact with the ground, at which point the other is struck - 3'00"

21. (ZANDE; N. Zaire) BIA GAZA - The song of the drum by Zande men, with one large slit drum, Bugu or Gugu, three conical drums cross-laced and double-headed, Gaza or Ndimo and metal hand bells. recorded at the village of chief Gatanga at Nguru, near Buta 1952 .TR-123 (B4). The slit drums are about 3 feet and 5 feet long and are played in an unusual manner. They sit astride with one leg stretched forward along its length and beat the drum on either flank with beaters called luiringwa. Small ebony figures carved locally often show the drummers in this characteristic posture - 3'18"

22. (PALUO. Uganda). KYOPERE - Drum rhythms for dance by men and women led by Samuiri Oduonga ith two long-stemmed goblet drums, Kigumba, Bunyoro 1950 TR-130 (A2) The Paluo people, sometimes called Chopi, though they are in fact no relation to the famous xylophone players of S.E. Mozambique, are a Nilotic group living near Masindi in north central Uganda. The larger drum called timbo and the smaller pere, both had membranes of python skin. One of the drummers had metal bells on his ankles which can be heard in the recording although he was not dancing at the time - 1'23"

23. (NYORO Uganda) KYEBAMBI - Praise tattoo by The Royal Ntimbo Drummers of the Omukama of Bunyoro, 1950 TR-132 (B4) The four small Ntimbo goblet-shaped drums have membranes of iguana water lizard skin and are traditionally associated with the royal songs. They were led by Yohana Nyakayonga and as court musicians their duties included the playing of praise songs for the Mukama and also raising the chief's household in the early morning. They also beat a tattoo whenever the chief walks outside from his house to the Council Offices after the naval fashion of piping officers on board ship - 2'37"

24. (HAYA Tanzania) NYAMWIZA OMURONGO - Love song with drum and rattles by Laurenti Kamwabwa with Haya boys and girls, rec in the village of Chief Kagya Bugabo, Bukoba 1950 TR-143 (B5) Typical laced-drum with rattles from the tough outer casing of small gourds with hard seeds inside. The song is in praise of a local beauty - 3'04"

25. (GANDA. Uganda) OMUSANGO GWABALERE - played by the Entenga Royal Drummers on 15 tuned drums rec 1950 TR-137(B7)The 6 drummers who performed this tune at the Royal palace of the Kabaka of Uganda formed one of the bands which traditionally played at the Lubili court. Since the time this recording was made the palace has been burned, the staff scattered and the drums probably destroyed. The tune was based on a song concerning another of the royal bands, the Flautists, who failed upon a certain occasion, in their musical duties at the palace, and were sentenced to death. They pleaded with the Kabaka for leniency because, as the Bira people, the lakeside village from which they came, had once saved one of the Kabakas sons from drowning, a service which had earned them the honour to become the Royal Flautists. On this account the Kabaka recanted and set them free - 2'57"

26. (GANDA. Uganda) ENSIRIBA YA MUNANGE TEGO - The Charm of my friend Katego - played by the Entenga Royal Drummers 1950. TR-137 (B8) Again 6 drummers & 15 laced drums, twelve of which are laid on their sides attached to a long pole. 4 each play 3 drums . To one side stand the 3 bass drums played by the two remaining drummers. The story of this tune, they said, concerns a certain Ssaza, or county chief, called Kangawo, who wore a charm as a head band. He would wear it all day and at night hang it up on the wall of his hut. One dark night the head band was stolen and the chief died without the protection of his charm. The melody is distinctive at the beginning and end of the piece - 2'47"

27. (GOGO. Tanzania). NGOMA 1 - Drum rhythm on 9 hour-glass-shaped drums by Gogo women with leader, Nhonyi Maluwatu. 1950. TR-154 (A7) The drums were all played by women standing in a circle with the drums held between their knees, each maintaining her own rhythm. The sizes of membranes varied from about 12 inches to small ones at about three - 4'09"

28. (LUBA. Zaire) NGOMA 2 - Dance with 4 goblet~shaped drums, each with a mirliton struck wooden clappers and a metal bell rattle. Mambala dance by a large group of Kasai women & 5 men, 1957. TR-183 (A3) One of the drummers raised and lowered the pitch of his drum by pressing his left elbow on and off the membrane. The buzzing tone was produced by the small mirliton membranes placed on the side of the closed drums - 3'01"

29. (ZAMBESI VALLEY - TONGA S. Zambia) ANTIWE - Drum rhythms for the Wantiwe Dance, rec Sinefwala's village in the Gwembe district of Southern Zambia, 1957, an area which was later flooded by the waters of the Kariba Dam. TR-43 (B6). The drums have a distinctive square-cut cylindrical body with a stem consisting of a hollow pipe of wood without a foot base. when played they are either slung from the shoulder or held between the thighs. Their names from small to great: Gogogo, Kingaridi, Chamutanda, Muntundu, Mujunja, Piniga & Pati - 2'31"

30. (NYUNGWE. Mozarnbique) DOKA 'WANDIMARE CHIPERI - Dai dance with 5 drums by Nyungwe men & women from Tete district 1958. TR-91 (A8) The smallest drum has a 9" diarn. membrane and is 10" tall. The largest 15" X 3 feet. Names from the smallest to the greatest: Jene, Mbanda-mbanda, Karipi-karipi, Mpanje and Tewe. The Jenje drum is the timekeeper and is heard first. All were played with sticks except the Tewe which was played by hands only - 2'38"

31. (GITONGA. Mozambique) ZORE - Dance with 5 drums and percussion by GiTonga men & women at Maxixe on the coast near Inhambane in Southenn Mozambique, 1963. TR-196 (A2) The GiTonga Dances are among the most deafening in Africa, not so much from the drums as from the volume of the percussive sounds made by wooden clappers and by striking an old sheet of corrugated iron. -The two Chohodwani drums are hung on poles and are played with beaters; the large Shikulu drum as made from an empty wine barrel, and the two smaller Kirisu were laid on the ground and were so beaten with sticks. The Tsakara, a corrugated iron sheet was slung between two six-foot poles and struck with metal beaters. To complete the ensemble there were rattles, wooden clappers and Punzu sable antelope horn. Order of appearance being: the 2 Kirisu drums, then the 2 Chohodwani and the bass sllikulu followed by the Tsakara,, The dance itself is a violent pelvic movement in which hips and belly are rolled and shaken, the women and men coming out in pairs to dance in the centre of the ring - 3'08"

Recorded by Hugh Tracey D.Mus. (Hon) , edited by Peter Kennedy and first published on Folktrax Cassettes 1976. Copyright: The International Library of African Music.