Kpanlogo

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Kpanlogo is a recreational dance and music form from Ghana, West Africa. It was first played by the Ga ethnic group, most of whom live in and around the capital city, Accra, but is now performed and enjoyed throughout the country. It is a celebration song that came to popularity around 1960, but is based on much older drumming patterns.

The bell pattern used in kpanlogo is nearly identical to the "son" clave, a commonly used rhythmic pattern found in Cuban music, as well as to the "Bo Diddley beat" popularized by the U.S. rhythm and blues musician Bo Diddley, perhaps showing a link between music of the Ga cultural region and the populations of African descent of the Caribbean and North America.

[edit] References

• Unruh, Amy (2000). "Kpanlogo: A Detailed Description of One Arrangement of a West-African Music and Dance Genre." M.M. thesis with videotape. Bowling Green, Ohio: Bowling Green State University.

[edit] External links

• Kpanlogo: Conflict, Identity Crisis and Enjoyment in a Ga Drum Dance, by Sonja Rentink
• http://dance.sdsu.edu/african/ga.htm