A West African STYLE Drum Ensemble
We are the Wednesday Drummers – devoting our Wednesday nights (and many more) to learning traditional rhythms of West Africa and bringing these rhythms to venues and events around New Hampshire and beyond.
Araba-Lon means “Wednesday” in the Malinke language, which is one of the languages of the Hamana region of Guinea, West Africa, where the music that we play originates.
We play the drums of the traditional West African ensemble: The solos and accompaniments are played on hand-drums called Jembe drums, and the melody is played on the three bass drums known as Kenkeni, Sangban and Dununba drums.
Traditionally, the rhythms and songs are associated with specific events or activities within a community and the lives of its members. Our African teachers have freely shared their music with us and we, in turn, are honored and thrilled to share this music with you.
Live events with the the ARABALON group are centered around the theme "we are all in this together". The band and the audience are engaged in a spontaneous collaboration that makes each event unique and memorable. And we are blessed each year with several opportunities to appear on stage with our friend and teacher, master drummer SAYON CAMARA. You can learn more about him at his website, sayoncamaradrumming.com.