Gumbe is a style of music that is stemmed from several
musical traditions in Guinea-Bissau. It’s typically associated only with this
country. Gumbe music is primarily
characterized by its use of polyrhythmic motifs between the guitars and
percussion, although originally it was mainly performed with vocals and
percussion. It’s likely that the goombay music of the Bahamas is related to
gumbe music of Guinea-Bissau and was brought over during the slave trade. It’s
also related to Caribbean zouk music as well. There are times when listening to
this kind of music certain rhythms and melody lines resemble those of Latin
music. Other genres popular in Guinea-Bissau include Tina and Tinga.
One of the more common instruments you’ll find in
traditional music like gumbe is called the kusunde. This is like a lute that is made from a gourd. It’s characterized by a short drone
string at the bottom (one that typically plays the same note throughout the
piece), a medium string at the top, and a longer string in the middle. The medium
and longer strings can be stopped to create a secondary note one whole step
higher. The calabash, or kora, is another
instrument played in the music of Guinea-Bissau, especially used in fast dance
music. Today, a variety of guitars and modern percussion instruments are also
used in their music.
One of the most iconic dances from Guinea-Bissau comes from
the Bijagos Islands. They are
famous for their warrior dances, which are fast-paced and tend to show off the
dancer’s athletic skills. In other areas, people dance to the popular gumbe
music. Typically, women do the dancing while the men use water drums (gourds)
to beat out the rhythms. Today, traditional dancing is generally performed for
holidays and festivals like Carnival.
The lyrics to music in Guinea-Bissau tend to have strong
themes of the fight for independence, African identity, fighting oppression,
and other similar sentiments. Because of this, most lyrics are sung in Crioulo
as opposed to Portuguese. Many of the musicians who emerged used their music to
criticize the government and its failure to take care of its citizens and
provide infrastructure and jobs. However, because of the tyranny at the top,
many of these musicians who sang their opinions were arrested or killed for
their vocal opposition.
I found three examples of Bissau-Guinean musicians on Spotify. While I really like this style, all
three albums have a similar sound.
I like it, but they are all similar. The first album I listed to was Aló Irmao! by Narf and Manecas
Costas. I seriously laughed at the
Narf part because it reminded me of that cartoon I watched in high school
called Pinky and the Brain. I miss
that show. (It’s available on Netflix but not as streaming.) Anyway, this
album’s acoustic guitar and lilting melodies remind me of Gilberto Gil. I liked
this album.
Ze Manel’s album Povo
Adormecido uses a variety of acoustic guitars and some percussion, along
with the occasional organ or brass instrument that sneaks into the background
of the music. I noticed that he has songs on this album in Crioulo, English,
and French.
Finally, I listened to Super Mama Djombo’s self-titled
album. There were many times while
listening to this album that made me think I was listening to Cuban music, or
at least some other Caribbean or Latin music. I think it was the polyrhythmic
beats and descant soprano above the main vocalist that just made this so
reminiscent of Cuban music. But there were also tracks that had a distinct
African sound to them as well. I really liked this album.
Up next: the food
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