A bougarabou (actual spelling BouGARabou) is a set of three to four drums commonly used in West Africa. The drums are single headed (cow skin), with an elongated goblet shape, usually placed on a single stand.
Until the last few decades the Bougarabou was played only one at a time, but in the last generation or two, possibly influenced from congueros in the western hemishpere, players play multiple drum setups. The drum is originally from the Jola people in (Senegal) & the (Gambia), and is nomally played solo, by a single drummer, unlike many african tribal situations. The drummer also wears a series of metal bracelets that contribute to the sound, and the dancers often clap and sing with the music, but it is unique in that a single drummer traditionally provides the drumming. An excellent recording has been made by Village pulse records of this tradition, with Bougarabou drummer Saikouba Badjie. An excerpt is available here, conforming to fair use guidelines:
They are normally played with only the hands in a standing position. They have a full, deep, rich sound which can be heard for miles and is effective at all dynamic levels. They produce a kind of bass melody in the total rhythm. in other modern drumming situations, they are often used to back up djembes and tammas in a percussion group.
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