Search - Villagers of Fadiouth Island :: Tom Tom Arabesques: Drums of Shell Island

Brilliant Senegalese tom tom drumming from the island of Fadiouth, a stunning jewel in the Atlantic known for its beautiful shells. The drum ensemble is made of five young master drummers of the Serer tribe. Six tom toms are used in the performance, including the bass tom tom, which beats out the basic rhythm, and high-pitched tom toms, which beat out finely delineated rhythms. This rapid and crisp cross-beat drumming is an almost entirely secreted music tradition; performing arts on the island are virtually never performed for tourists. This recording captures this hidden tradition live at a secret festival, so it can now be enjoyed off island in all of its fiery glory.