Sabar Repertoire
What is Mbalax?
Mbalax is a genre of percussion-based dance music that arose shortly after Senegal gained independence from France in 1960.
This musical style infuses traditional Sabar with popular music styles from the African diaspora. Mbalax includes a strong rhythmic emphasis, repetitive chord progressions, fast, danceable tempos, and syncopated guitar riffs.
What are the Musical Features?
Typically, in Mbalax, there are various musical components including: lead and backup vocals, traditional sabar dance, electric guitars, bass guitars, kit drums, keyboards, and/or tama (talking drum).
"The roles of these instruments in a mbalax band is analogous to the roles of drums within a sabar ensemble, with the lead vocal as nder drum, the rhythm guitar as mbëng-mbëng drum, the keyboard as talmbat (bass drum accompaniment), and the bass guitar as tulli (solo bass drum). Thus, a mbalax ensemble, although consisting primarily of modern electric instruments, can be seen as a transformation of the traditional sabar ensemble.” - Dr. Patricia Tang, Associate Professor of Music, Massachussetts Institute of Technology
Sabar Instruments
To the left, you can see the various types of instruments used in Sabar, Mbalax, and other traditional West African musical contexts. Here, there are various drums and shakers. Some drums have open bottoms, others are double-headed, and many vary in size.
Sabar Dance
Sabar is a generic term that encompasses the drum, the rhythms, and the dances associated with rhythms. Sabar dances are performed at large social gatherings and celebrations - birthdays, weddings, funerals, and more. Traditionally, only women would participate in Sabar dance. There are many different types of Sabar dance, with some including Taneber, Ngente, Mariage, and Ceebu Jen. Usually, Sabar dances are performed as short (10-20 sec) solos. The drummers interpret the dancer's movements and accompany them with a specific rhythm. There are instances when Sabar is organized or choreographed, but in these social gatherings, the dancing is mostly independent.
Taneber
Ngente
Mariage
Ceebu Jën