Nickell’s Bag

Read this sentence out loud.

Now, read it out loud again; but replace each syllable with the sound, “tak.”

What you are left with is the rhythm of speech. It is a rhythm that differs from language to language, sentence to sentence. Though we Americans rarely think about it, rhythm is an essential aspect of the soul of our communicative style. Great speakers are not just great thinkers; they are also great rhythmatists, who create musical arcs through words.

In the west African country of Senegal, awareness of the rhythms of speech isn’t simply heightened; it is central to the artistic and spiritual identity of the culture. There, people known as the Gewel serve as cultural historians and praise singers who preserve important cultural stories and beliefs through their art.

Yet their art is wordless. They are drummers.

“When you hear this music, it’s like you’re hearing just the rhythm of a conversation without the words,” said Bob Ledbetter, a professor of percussion at the University of Montana. “But all of the rhythms were originally vocal messages that have been passed down from generation to generation.”

It is a tradition that is a far cry from what we Americans are used to thinking of as music. Played on a drum known as a sabar, the music has no melody, and can seem at times even to lack an underlying, steady pulse. That makes it very difficult for a non-Gewel percussionist to learn how to play, said Ledbetter.

“My students are used to working off written musical notation,” said Ledbetter. “So I’ve been transcribing this music for us to learn. But it’s difficult because there’s a lot of speeding up and slowing down, a lot of rhythms and combinations of rhythms that are unique to sabar drumming.”

After spending several weeks trying to perfect the style of playing, Ledbetter and his students spent this past week learning direct from the source: Idrissa Gueye, a master drummer from Senegal who is in town for several performances and workshops this weekend. Here’s a video, shot by Missoulian online reporter Tim Akimoff, from the group’s first rehearsal together:

Tonight, Gueye will join the UM Percussion Ensemble in its annual World Rhythms Concert, where he and a group of students will perform several traditional pieces on sabar drums.

“This is such a great opportunity for the students to learn a very different and challenging style of playing first-hand, from a traditional master,” said Ledbetter.

Gueye’s visit was arranged in coordination with Willy and Hillary Funk Welzenbach of Missoula’s Teranga Arts School, who knew Gueye through their interest in African drumming and dance. Gueye is being joined in his visit to Missoula by N’Deye Gueye, a master dancer who will perform along with four local dancers as part of tonight’s concert.

Also featured on the concert will be a performance by the UM Brazilian Batucada Ensemble, traditional Mexican marimba music, and an Afro-Cuban drum ensemble performing a medley of grooves from the Mozambique to the Cuban Comparsa.

The Gueyes will also perform at an African dinner and party at the Downtown Dance Collective this Saturday, Feb. 28.

“This is a pretty unique opportunity for people to see and hear an example of a really important cultural tradition from a part of the world that we don’t have a lot of exposure to here in Montana,” said Ledbetter.

The University of Montana Percussion Ensemble, with guests Idrissa and N’Deye Gueye, will perform a World Rhythms Concert tonight, February 27, at 7:30 p.m. in the University Theatre. Admission is $4 for students/seniors and $6 for general admission. On Saturday, Feb. 28, an African dinner and party featuring Idrissa and N’Deye Gueye, Teranga Arts, and Djebe Dance and Drum will take place at the Downtown Dance Collective, located at 121 West Main St. Admission to that event is $15.

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