News

Awesome all around snare drum based on the vintage classic Jazzfest made popular by buddy rich and ringo starr.

The Ludwig Jazzfest Snare

October 27, 2020

The drum that Buddy and Ringo made famous

Do you remember when Mapex started the groundbreaking Mydentity concept? The idea was that Mapex would allow you to design a custom drum kit online with your selection of drum sizes, wood type, finish, and even hardware color?

It's Hip to Be Square (pt.4)

October 13, 2020

If you want to see something really amazing, check out the International Cajon Festival in Peru (Festival Internacional del Cajon Peruano) on YouTube, Facebook, and the web. Founded in 2007 by Peruvian musician Rafael Santa Cruz, the International Cajon Festival is an annual event in Lima, Peru that celebrates the cajon with performances, masterclasses, video screenings, and conferences.

It's Hip to Be Square (pt. 3) Back to Africa

October 06, 2020

Spain, Cuba, and Peru are just some of the forebears to today’s cajon. In researching for this article, I came across a Lakota square drum; ancient Egyptian and Chinese square drums; the Jamaican rumba box (marimbula), which is like a giant kalimba; as well as an entire genre of square drums from Central and West Africa.

It's Hip to be Square (pt. 2) the Cuba Connection

September 30, 2020

In tracing the roots of the cajon in rumba, scholar David Penalosa says, “the side of a cabinet functioned in the role of the present-day tumba or salidor, while an overturned drawer served as the quinto.” As had occurred in other Caribbean and South American countries, Cuban President Gerardo Machado in 1925 banned “bodily contortions” and “drums of African nature” in public.