Photo: #Brian Van Tassell plays a balafone
Photo: #Brian Van Tassel plays the djembe, which he says is becoming one of the most popular drums in the world.

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West Africa comes to Minneapolis through music

by Roseanne Pereira, Minnesota Public Radio
Listen to feature audio

A Minneapolis musician is learning about new worlds through playing West African music.

Minneapolis, Minn. — Brian Van Tassel is from the US, but he has been studying the music of West Africa and learning how to play the djembe, a popular type of drum, and the balafone, a wooden instrument played with hammers.

Van Tassel will be one of the featured performers at the World Refugee Day ceremonies in Minneapolis.

He explains a little about each instrument and plays them too in the audio links on the right.

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