11.09.24 West African Drum and Dance

Evening ConcertSeries 2024–2025Season

SaraM.SnellMusicTheaterSaturday,November9th at7:30PM

WestAfricanDrumandDanceEnsemble

JulieE.Hunter,Director

KwakuKwaakyeObeng,GuestArtistandInstructor

CalabashSong Traditional

NuwonameLoo Traditional

NsaNiO Traditional

GahuDance-Drumming Traditional

SeAdzo

GahuWoeLoo

KpegisuDrumming Traditional

KpanlogoDance-Drumming Traditional

Womibae

TsooBoi

SuoLele

CalabashSong

EngoNaaEe

CalabashSong isapopularsongperformedinGhanawhichispartofthe kpanlogo repertoire.Thelyrics,inGa andEnglish,implytheimportanceofcommunityandthewaythatsharingfoodwithoneanothercanbring peopletogether,evenifthefoodisassimpleasporridge,or koko.Acalabash,or tsene,isabowlmadefroma driedgourdwhichiscommonlyusedforpreparingandconsumingfood.We’llsingthissongtothe accompanimentof nonota (irondoublebell)and tamalin (squareframedrum),two kpanlogo instruments.

NuwonameLoo isanEwesongfromthe Bobo dance-drummingtradion. Bobo originatesfromTogo.This songwasrecordedbyethnomusicologistJamesBurnsonthealbum EweDrumminginGhana:TheSoupWhich isSweetDrawstheChairsinCloser whichfeaturestheDzigbodiHaboboinDzodze,Ghana.Thelyricscauon thatchallengingthingscanhappentopeopleinlifeusingaproverbthatstates“ifthele eyeisblind,theright eyewillalwayssuffer.”ThelyricsrefertotheDzigbodi,orPaence,groupandpointtohowEwesongs frequentlyaddressgroupmembersdirectlywithadviceandsocially-consciousmessages.

NsaNiO isoneofmanyhandgamesperformedinGhana.“NsaNiO”issetintheAkanlanguageand integratessinging,stepping,clapping,andothermovement.Thelyricsmean“HereisaDrink/Idonothavea calabash/Iwilldieoftoomuchdrinking”.Thesongservesasasocialcommentarywarningagainstthe potenalnegaveeffectsofexcessivedrinking.Handgamesaretypicallyperformedbychildrenasaformof entertainment.Theyalsohelppeopletolearncomplexrhythmsandimportantculturalvaluesandbeliefs withinthecommunity.Ourarrangementincludestheuseofseveralbellsandshakersasaccompaniment.

Gahu isanEgundancefromBeninthatwasadoptedbyEwecommuniesinTogoandGhanainthemidTwenethCentury.Themusicistypicallyplayedatspecialeventssuchasreligiousandharvestfesvals,orfor theinstallaonofachief.Itisasocialdancethatreflectsmodernlivingandsensibiliesincontemporary Africa.Theleaddrum, gboba,cuesthedancerstochangetheirmovements.Instrumentaonincludes gankogui (irondoublebell), toke (boat-shapedbell), axatse (gourdshaker), sogo (largesckdrum), kidi (mediumsckdrum), kagan (smallsckdrum)and gboba (largeleaddrum).

Kpegisu isanEwegenreofwarmusicwhichoriginatedinthe1800s.Themusicanddancearerarely performedinGhanatodaywithonlyasmallnumberof kpegisu groupsinexistenceintownssuchasKlikor.A typicalEwe meline(rhythmicpaern)withapolyrhythmicfeelisplayedontheironbellknownas gankogui. ThispaerncanbeheardinmanygenresofEwemusicsuchas agbadza, atrikpui, adzogbo,and atsiagbekor. TheCraneEnsemblehasbeenabletolearnthistradionasaresultofarstssuchasmasterdrummerManavi DekuwhotaughtthemusictoethnomusicologistJulieHunterduringherstudiesinGhana.Deku,and membersoftheKlikorKpegisuHabobo,defiedgendernormsofdrummingandbecamethe firstall-women’s drumminggroupinthecountryduringthe1980s.Hunterwouldliketorecognizethesignificantcontribuons ofYawFianuwoweAso,whopassedawayearlierthisyear,inherstudyof kpesigu andworkwitharstsin Klikor.Tonight,wefeaturestudentsfromtheWAYS102collegewringseminarWorldsofWomenDrummers onthispiece.

Kpanlogo isastyleofGarecreaonalmusicanddancefromtheGreaterAccraRegion,includingthecapital city,ofSouthernGhana.Itistypicallyplayedatfunerals,fesvals,andpares.Itdevelopedinthe1950sduring Ghana’sindependenceperiodandwasulizedasameansofresistanceduringthean-colonialstrugglewhich culminatedinthecountry’sachievementoffreedomfromBrishrulein1957.Thesonglyricsanddance movementsreflectpolicalthemesaswellasthelifestyleofurbanyouth.Asoneofthemostpopularand widespreadGhanaiangenrestoday, kpanlogo canbeheardthroughoutGhanaaswellastheAfricandiaspora, includingfrequentperformancesbyuniversity-basedensemblesinNorthAmericasincethe1960s. Kpanlogo is comprisedofhundredsofsongsanddancemovementsasdemonstratedbygroupssuchastheShidaaCultural

Troupe,agroupwhichtheCraneensemblecollaboratedwithinSpring2024.Withinthepolyrhythmictexture ofthisfast-pacedgenre,theleadhanddrum, mi,playsacomplexandchangingpartwhichaddsmusical variety,promptschangesinthechoreography,andcorrespondstospecificmovements.The nonota (double bell)establishesthe meline,orfoundaonalrhythmicpaern,inresponsetotheunderlyingfour-beatpulse playedbythe shekeshe (shaker).Addionalinstrumentsincludethe dodompo (fingerbell), tamalin (frame drum),andbambooscks. Kpanlogo isahighlyparcipatorymusicaltradionandweinviteyoutojoinalong andclap,sing,anddanceintheaislesattheendoftheperformance. Yedamoasepapaapa (Thankyouvery much)!

WestAfricanEnsemble

AbbyDiaz

LaurenFoley

JakeHuon

VictoriaKeane

CarterKleinsmith

AlexanderMahr

GabbyMaresco

MelodyMcAllister

OliviaPiero

KatherineReetz

MarcusSmith

NatalieThompson

GuestPerformers

VanessaAagaard

IreneAkingboju

BrodieAinsworth

JoshBuessem

JackCarola

WilliamCodd

RosselynCuyuch

OllieHernandez

RyanGodfrey

BrandonPhelps

MariaTartaglia

KalissaYoung

GuestArst

MarnKwakuKwaakyeObenghasworkedwiththeCraneWestAfricanEnsemblesinceitsstartin2013.Heisa well-renowneddrummer,singer,dancer,composer,andeducatororiginallyfromGhanawhohasworked internaonallyforthepast30years.Hebegandrummingattheageof fivewiththeFontomfromEnsemble,an AkanroyalcourtensemblethatperformsfortheParamountChiefoftheAburi-Akuapimarea,andwider community,intheEasternRegionofGhana.Byseventeen,hewasappointedRoyalCourtDrummer.Helater joinedGhana'sNaonalArtsCouncilFolkloricCompanybasedinAccra.InaddiontotradionalWestAfrican music,hehasperformedandrecordedarangeofstylesfromhighlifetofunk,jazz,Lanmusic,andreggae. ObengdirectstheGhanaianDrummingandWorldMusicEnsemblesatBrownUniversity,andhealsoteaches atBerkleeCollegeofMusic.

ObenghassharedthestagewithsuchluminariesasRoyHargrove,RandyWeston,MaxRoach,Anthony Braxton,JayHoggard,WadadaLeoSmith,GideonAlorwoyie,OboAddy,FleetwoodMac,BillLaswell,and BootsyCollins.HehastaughtworkshopsatuniversiesacrosstheNortheast,includingYaleandNewYork University,andhasappearedatawiderangeofvenuesandfesvalsintheUS,Mexico,Brazil,St.Lucia, Senegal,Ghana,andNewZealand.Obenghasreleasedfoursoloalbumsincluding Awakening, Sunsum, Afrijazz,and Africa’sMovingForward.Hehasalsobeenfeaturedondozensofrecordingsandcompilaons.He recentlyplayedonthesoundtrackforthePentatonix’s AroundtheWorldfortheHolidays filmonDisney+. KwakuKwaakyeObeng’smusicisavailableatNfewaMusic.

SpecialThanks MarnObeng,JordanMensah,SamuelMaamaMarquaye,HeatherMensahPreis,Shidaa Projects,DavidHeuser,NilsKlykken,TimothySullivan,CaseyGrev,CarolLowe,PeterMcCoy,NancyLewis, LibbieFreed,MahewGa,DouglasMcKinnie,JasonHunter,KarenMiller,SandyLarock,JessTyre,Emma Gierszal,RisaOkina,JulieMiller,TimothyYip,NasserMalit,HadleyKruczek-Aaron,MorganPerkins,Caroline Downing,SheilaMcIntyre,ChrisneDoran,KristaMedo,KathyJandreau,AbbyDiaz,IreneAkingboju,Lauren Foley,VanessaAagaard,JoseSanago,SylviaGrant,IvannaSoletska,ZoeWilliamson,RiverviewCorreconal Facility,KomiviAshiaby,ManaviDeku,andDanielAso.