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"wood box" percussion instrument?


Mark Zeger

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I recently saw Don Alias perform with David Sanborn. During one tune, he was featured on kalimba, Udu drum, and a hand percussion instrument that looked like a large, resonant wood box. He sat on top of it and played the face and edge of it. What is this instrument called? Is is African or Brazilian?
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Called a cajon (literally "box"). I always see the Peruvian bands using them. In Cuba, they supposedly arose in the 1800's when African slaves were forbidden to own drums. Lots of music stores and catalog places carry them
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Cajón is also a popular instrument for "modern" flamenco. (As this article points out, it's only been since the early 70's that Paco de Lucía popularized the use of this Peruvian instrument -which also has a derivative in Cuba- in flamenco.)

These guys will sell you one! Check out the beechwood construction, & walnut burl playing surface on their top-of-the-line model... They've also got some cheaper models that include an instructional video.

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Sometimes they have guitar strings strung on the inside of them, like snares.

 

Check local outdoor markets this spring- I remember seeing a guy on the street selling his cajons near the Union Square Farmer's Market in Manhattan when I was there. A friend of mine also got a nice one at a shop on 47th, but I can't remember which one.

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