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Cuba, A Forbidden Musical Paradise

Brad Boynton visits Cuba, a drummer's forbidden paradise, filled with set players sporting Thomas Lang chops & timbale players who put drum lines to shame.

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Rhythmic Snapshot: West Africa

With the huge influence of African music on our own performance vocabularies, we thought it was only fitting to take a journey to the epicenter of rhythm.

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Classic & Collectible: Latin American Instruments

When I Love Lucy debuted in 1951, America was introduced to Latin instruments, spurring a market for bongos and maracas, which are now collectible.

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¡Explosion de Clave! Roots Of Afro-Cuban Movement

NYC’s Spanish Harlem was where Afro-Cuban music exploded onto the scene back in the 1940s. Here’s the story of the players behind the revolution.

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Skin Talk: How To Rehead A Djembe

There is a lot to consider when assembling one of these sacred African drums, which first made an impact outside West Africa in the 1950s.

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The Glossary Of World Percussion Instruments

We've compiled a glossary of essential world percussion instruments from Africa, South Asia, Lain America, and many others that you will encounter.

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Talking Drums Of The Walo Walo

Adam Novick explains the history behind the Senegalese talking drum, the tama — a traditional instrument of the Dakar Wolof and Walo Walo culture.

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L.A. Roundtable: Life In The Fast Lane

The three hand drummers gathered at our photographer’s studio in Hollywood, blocks away from the Capitol Records building for a roundtable interview.

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The Hottest Conga CDs Of All Time

If you are an aficionado of the conga drum, you definitely need to fortify your collection with some of the greatest conga drumming CDs of all time.

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Hot Licks: Irizarry & Thompson At PASIC

We watched in awe as timbalero Ralph Irizarry jammed with conguero William “Kachiro” Thompson at the 2010 PASIC in Indianapolis.