The kakaki, a metal trumpet about 10 feet long, is traditionally played in African countries. This is the kakaki. It's a traditional African musical instrument played at official ceremonies for the ...

The aesthetic dimensions of African musical instruments are not only visual, but aural and symbolic as well. As cultural objects, they can represent and reinforce political authority, social ...

African instruments are rich and unique in their sounds. With such uniqueness in sound, they have influenced music from other parts of the world. Here are 7 musical instruments whose origin dates back ...

“How come we’ve never heard of this beautiful instrument until now?” This was posted by a first-year college student to my world music course discussion board recently. He voiced what many of his ...

The late, great Fela Kuti is known as the "Black President" for his role as both a musical and a political leader. Now he has become the first African artist to get this Grammy honor.

The Musical Instrument Museum is highlighting the power of masks with a new exhibition called “Congo Masks and Music: Masterpieces from Central Africa.” The exhibit includes more than 150 masks, ...

Music has been part and parcel of humanity for a long time. Not every sound is musical, but sound has meaning and sometimes the meaning of sound is specific to its context. But when it comes to ...

EVERETT — A nonstop flight from Seattle to Africa will take close to 20 hours and cost thousands. But life on the continent can be experienced for free this weekend in Everett. The first-ever Sounds ...

HAMBURG, Germany — “Ok, stop the cameras,” the head conservator commanded from the belly of the storage department. “I want to hear what these instruments sound like without Satch wearing the gloves.” ...

Early American banjo music is Black music. The banjo was created by enslaved African Americans, and according to the Smithsonian Institute, up until the 1830s, the banjo was exclusively an African ...

Emily Yahr, Valerie June and Dina Bennett talk about how black people have been largely excluded from country music -- an art form rooted in black history. And Danielle Paquette on how controversy ...

Pop superstar Beyoncé released "Texas Hold 'Em" a few weeks ago and it features an instrument that she had never emphasized before. This hit song, on her new (and hugely popular) Cowboy Carter album, ...