Haitian Vodou Drumming

Haitian Vodou drumming is the sacred percussion of Haitian Vodou, in which ensembles of conical drums, above all the rada trio of manman, segon and boula, joined by the iron ogan bell and played under a master drummer, the ountògi, summon and serve the lwa spirits. Each rhythm belongs to a nation of spirits and a phase of the ceremony, and the drummer's improvised breaks, the kase, can precipitate possession. Carried from West and Central African sources into the Afro-Haitian religion, the tradition was brought to the stage and the recording studio by virtuosos such as *Ti Roro* and *Frisner Augustin*.