The algaita (also spelled alghaita, algayta or algheita) is a double reed wind instrument[1] from the Sahelian region of West-Central Africa that is used by the Bamum,[2] Hausa and Kanuri peoples in Cameroon and Nigeria. Its construction is similar to the oboe-like rhaita and the zurna. The algaita is distinguished from these other instruments by its larger, trumpet-like bell. Instead of keys, it has open holes for fingering, similar to the zurna.[1]

Algaita
Classification Double reed
Related instruments
Algaita player, Kapsiki, Cameroon

Traditional recordings

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  • Music from the Villages of Northeastern Nigeria (Folkways, 1971)
  • "Music of the Cameroon - The Fulani of the North" (Lyrichord 7334)

Use in jazz recordings

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  • Yusef Lateef, In Nigeria, (YAL Records, 1983)
  • Yusef Lateef, The African-American Epic Suite (1994)

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "African Music - MSN Encarta". Archived from the original on 2009-10-28.
  2. ^ Etonde, Patricia (2022). "Adaptation of the German Colonial Administration to Traditional Bamoun Governance". www.grin.com. Retrieved 2024-07-09.
  • H.G. Farmer, "The Arab Influence on the Western Soudan." The Musical Standard, 15 November, 1924.
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