Zaboombala! Drumming Works
"ZaBoombala,"
Zabumba,
and music "For All"
and music "For All"
"ZaBoombala" is a play on the word zabumba, a bass drum originating in Northeast Brazil. The zabumba's job is to get people to dance!
The rhythms of Northeast Brazil include a wide range of styles, all multi-cultural musical blends. The musical roots of Africa, Portugal, and indigenous Brazilians are found in many flavors throughout the area. The zabumba traditionally provides the swinging bass for several genres that are particularly about dancing and social gatherings around music, such as Baiõ, Coco, and Forro.
Forro, pronounced ""fo-hoa," even includes an American element in its history. A twist on the English word "for all," forro evolved during the 1940's when U.S. servicemen were stationed around Natal on the northeast coast. Their musical tastes were woven into the existing dance hall music. The resulting songs have Brazilian syncopation and swing, but are danceable "for all" -- including Americans more used to dancing on the beat.
ZaBoombala
rhythm programs are about making music -- and music-making --
accessible "for all." Jú plays the zabumba at Brazil Music Camp in northern California. The right hand plays the top side with the rich, low characteristic main pattern of the song. The left hand plays with a thin stick on the plastic head, creating a lively, upbeat counter-rhythm.