Agbekor solo (Ewe dance/drumming form)

Agbekor is a famous warrior dance/drumming form of the Ewe people of Ghana. My one-man-band arrangement combines support grooves, master drum themes, and traditional songs. Agbekor is a dramatic dance that tells the story of how the Ewe’s defeated a much larger army to win their land. In Ghana, Agbekor is performed for weddings, funerals, and social gatherings, and is a popular dance/drumming style throughout the world. In this solo treatment, I use the names of support drums to speak their recurring patterns, recite and play master drum themes, and sing traditional songs. This solo is dedicated to my teachers in Ghana: Godwin Agbeli and his sons Reuben, Emmanuel, and Nani; and my teachers and colleagues in Boston: David Locke, Joe Galeota, Royal Hartigan, and Ben Paulding. Jerry Leake: gonkogui, totodzi, kidi, kagan, vocals, ankle bells Below is a link to the traditional dance performed at the Dagbe Center, a school in Ghana where I (and many others) studied Ewe drumming, dance, and songs. Agbekor Dance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOlgMgZkAQQ Dagbe Center: https://www.dagbeinstitute.org Ewe traditional, arranged by Jerry Leake: gonkogui, totoji, kidi, kagan, ankle bells, and vocals. Agbekor drawing by Sarah Noack Rhombus Publishing (Books, CDs, Articles): http://www.rhombuspublishing.com