Rhythm in a box: The story of the cajon drum - Paul Jennings

Ritam u kutiji: priča o kahon bubnju - Pol Dženings (Paul Jennings)

Prevodilac: Mile Živković Lektor: Ivana Korom

Many modern musical instruments are cumbersome or have a lot of parts.

Mnogi moderni muzički instrumenti su nezgrapni ili imaju puno delova.

Some need a stand or a stool.

Nekima je potreban stalak ili stolica.

But the cajon is a drum, a stand and a seat all in one convenient box.

Ali kahon je bubanj, stalak i stolica, sve u jednoj zgodnoj kutiji.

And this simplicity may be key to its journey across continents and cultures

Ova jednostavnost možda je razlog njegovog puta preko kontinenata i kultura

to become one of the most popular percussion instruments in the world today.

kako bi postao jedan od najpopularnijih udaračkih instumenata današnjice.

The cajon's story begins in West Africa,

Priča kahona počinje u zapadnoj Africi,

whose indigenousness people had rich musical traditions

gde su domorodački narodi imali bogate muzičke tradicije

centered on drumming and dancing.

fokusirane na bubnjevima i plesu.

When many of them were captured and brought to the Americas as slaves,

Kada su mnogi od njih zarobljeni i dovedeni u Ameriku kao robovi,

they brought this culture with them,

sa sobom su doneli ovu kulturu,

but without their native instruments, they had to improvise.

ali bez svojih domorodačkih instrumenata, morali su da improvizuju.

African slaves in coastal Peru didn't have the materials

Afrički robovi u priobalju Perua nisu imali ni materijale,

or the opportunity to craft one of their traditional drums

ni priliku da sačine neke od njihovih tradicionalnih bubnjeva

such as a djembe or a djun djun.

poput đembea ili dun duna.

But what they did have were plenty of shipping crates.

Ali imali su dosta kutija za slanje.

Not only were these readily accessible,

Ne samo da su one bile dostupne,

but their inconspicuous appearance

već je njihov neupadljiv izgled možda pomogao

may have helped get around laws prohibiting slaves from playing music.

da se zaobiđu zakoni koji su robovima zabranjivali sviranje muzike.

Early Peruvian cajons consisted of a simple box

Rani kahoni iz Perua sastojali su se od jednostavne kutije

with five thick wooden sides.

sa pet strana od debelog drveta.

The sixth side, made of a thinner sheet of wood,

Šesta strana, od tanjeg komada drveta,

would be used as the striking surface,

koristila se kao površina za udaranje

or more commonly known as the tapa.

ili jednostavnije tapa.

A sound hole was also cut into the back to allow the sound to escape.

Sa zadnje strane je isečena rupa kroz koju je zvuk izlazio napolje.

As an Afro-Peruvian culture developed,

Kako se razvijala afro-peruanska kultura

and new forms of music and dance, such as Zamacueca,

i nastajali novi oblici muzike i plesa, poput zamakueke,

Festejo and Landó were born,

festeha i landoa,

the cajon became a dedicated musical instrument in its own right.

kahon je postao namenski instrument za sebe.

Early modifications involved simply bending the planks of the box

Prvobitne izmene uključivale su prosto krivljenje dasaka kutije

to tweak the sound,

kako bi se podesio zvuk,

and when abolition of slavery introduced the cajon to a broader population,

a kada je kahon predstavljen široj populaciji nakon zabrane ropstva,

more improvisation and experimentation soon followed.

uskoro je usledilo još improvizacija i eksperimentisanja.

Perhaps the person most responsible for introducing the cajon

Osoba koja je možda najodgovornija za predstavljanje kahona

to European audiences was Spanish Flamenco guitarist Paco de Lucía.

evropskoj publici bio je španski flamenko gitarista Pako de Lusija.

When touring in Peru in 1977,

Kada je 1977. bio na turneji u Peruu,

he and his percussionist Rubem Dantas

on i njegov perkusionista Rubim Dantas

discovered the cajon and brought it back to Spain,

otkrili su kahon i doneli ga nazad u Španiju,

recognizing its potential for use in Flamenco music.

prepoznavši njegov potencijal za upotrebu u flamenko muzici.

By stretching guitar strings along the inside of the tapa,

Razvukavši žice gitare preko unutrašnje strane tape,

the flamenco musicians were able to create a buzz-like snare sound.

flamenko muzičari su mogli da stvore zvuk snera nalik na zujanje.

Combined with the regular base tone,

U kombinaciji sa osnovnim tonom,

this gave the cajon a sound close to a basic drum set.

ovo je kahonu dalo zvuk blizak osnovnom setu bubnjeva.

The cajon quickly caught on,

Kahon se brzo raširio

not only becoming standard in Flamenco,

i postao standard ne samo u flamenku,

but being used in genres like folk, jazz, blues and rock.

već i u žanrovima poput folka, džeza, bluza i roka.

Today, many specialized cajons are manufactured,

Danas se proizvodi dosta specijalizovanih kahona,

some with adjustable strings,

neki sa podesivim žicama,

some with multiple playing surfaces,

neki sa više površina za sviranje

and some with a snare mechansim.

a neki sa mehanizmom za sner.

But the basic concept remains the same,

Ali osnovni koncept ostaje isti

and the story of the cajon shows

i priča o kahonu pokazuje

that the simplest things can have the most amazing potential

da najjednostavnije stvari mogu da imaju najneverovatniji potencijal

when you think outside and inside the box.

kada razmišljate van i unutar okvira.