Caxixi.com - Cabello Organic Percussion

 

 (from caxixi.com -Cabello Organic Percussion)

   A little while ago I wrote a post on erikundi , which are little shakers made kind of like little baskets. I know of them mainly for their use in the Afro-Cuban Abakua rhythm, but in Brasil they are called Caxixi, I'm familiar with them being played with the Berimbau, the instrument famous for accompanying Capoeira.

(from caxixi.com -Cabello Organic Percussion)

Wikipedia has this to say about caxixi and erikundi:

A caxixi is a percussion instrument consisting of a closed basket with a flat-bottom filled with seeds or other small particles. The caxixi is an indirectly struck idiophone. Like the maraca, it is sounded by shaking. It is found across Africa and South America, but mainly in Brazil. Natives believed the caxixi to summon good enchanted spirits and to ward off evil ones.

In Capoeira music, the caxixi is played along with the berimbau. In West Africa it is used by singers and often alongside drummers.

An erikundi is a kind of basket woven maraca, a percussion instrument. It is of African origins.

 Anyways, why the double post? My friends over at Sentimiento Manana posted this great picture from the percussionist Gene Golden, showing the variety and quality of his instruments. He has some fantastic stuff, including some incredible erikundis (caxixi).

(from http://sentimientomanana.blogspot.com)

  So I did a little browsing and came across a beautiful site called caxixi.com which belongs to Cabello Organic Percussion. Imagine that! A whole website named after this humble little instrument! I'm very impressed. That is just the thing I like to see. I wanted to put the word out there for any Afro-Cuban folkloric players that can't go to a flea market and buy erikundis from Ghanaians like I was lucky enough to. Cabello Organic Percussion not only seems to make fantastic and quality caxixi, they seem to have that secret ingredient: passion! I'm sure it won't be long before I have some of their instruments. They are so beautiful.

(from caxixi.com -Cabello Organic Percussion)