The infectious rhythms of traditional and modern West African, Brazilian and Indian music will reverberate in Spaulding Auditorium tonight when the Dartmouth World Music Percussion Ensemble performs its annual fall concert entitled "Dance of the Small Drums."
The performance is dedicated to those who lost loved ones on Sept. 11th, said Adjunct Assistant Professor Hafiz Shabazz, a master drummer and musician of 40 years who will be directing the 21 Dartmouth affiliates involved with the production.
Senegalese master drummer Cheikh M'Baye and his group of dancers and musicians along with Malian kora (a 21 stringed-lute) player Balla Gounkara accompany the ensemble's compositions and perform their own interpretations of eight West African grooves.
The world jazz group Bala Bala, whose records are for sale at the Dartmouth Bookstore, will perform aside the ensemble throughout the evening.
"Of course we do traditional West African Music, but as a result of having musicians from both Africa and Cuba, there is a great deal of authenticity," Shabazz said.
The ensemble itself will perform in a variety of international percussion styles, including a popular Brazilian dance, Frevo.
"We've integrated traditional rhythm patterns and molded them into the rhythm section for Hafiz's jazz band (Bala Bala)," Ian Sarr '05 said.
Three Dartmouth musicians will also play North Indian music, including one improvisational percussion piece and a solo religious song performed in Indian classical style by Swati Rana '02.
Rana, who lived in India for 10 years, studied Indian music briefly as a child but continued to play the harmonium, a classical Indian instrument, once she moved to Canada at age 10.
Rana also participated in the ensemble's previous spring performance, compelling her return for this year's concert.
"It was really exciting to hang out with the visiting performers back stage and have a chance to talk to them," Rana said of the spring performance.
Dartmouth teachers, graduates, students and members of the surrounding community compose the ensemble's members.
Approximately 30 percent of the ensemble were introduced to drumming at Dartmouth, said Shabazz. Although these students may have to put in extra hours in the practice room, their inexperience has had many positive effects on the music.
"They don't have preconceived notions of what their teachers taught, so they are open to learning about new concepts in music," said Shabazz. "This freshness adds to the excitement of the group."
Chip Rountree '05 had little drumming experience coming into the ensemble but was enticed to attend Dartmouth when he heard of its stellar drumming department.
"A cool thing about this ensemble is that you don't have to be real good to be in it," Rountree said. He added that Shabazz "is very helpful; one of his goals is to help make us all drummers."
A large and diverse contingent of the class of '05 is also represented in the ensemble, bringing a wide variety of cultural backgrounds to the group, according to Shabazz.
"Hafiz is the man," Ben Noland '05 said. "He's a real cool guy and an incredible drummer." Noland beats the djimbe and the snare drum in the performance despite his previous musicianship as a set drummer.
Shabazz's fans within the ensemble transcend Dartmouth's traditional class divisions. Tommy Weishaar '02's affection grew when he took drumming lessons from Shabazz early in his drumming career. When Weishaar could no longer afford paid lessons, Shabazz continued to instruct him free of charge.
After studying at the University of Ghana and the University of Bahia, Brazil, Shabazz traveled to Dartmouth as a master drummer for a group who performed at the Hopkins Center in 1979. Shabazz then taught a workshop at the College and subsequently became a visiting lecturer. Within two years he was awarded the position of assistant professor.
Shabazz first led the drumming ensemble in 1980, when it was dubbed the West African Drumming Ensemble. Shabazz altered the name to reflect the ensemble's new musical perspective.
"We wanted to broaden our horizons to include every ethnic group on campus, even white-Americans," said Shabazz.
In past years, the ensemble has employed a broad range of musical genres, from salsa and calypso to blues and electronica.
