Cabasa

The cabasa is actually a modernized version of the chékéré (or shékéré), sometimes called agbe, an ancient instrument from West Africa—more specifically the Mandinka Empire. Traditionally, it was made from gourd- or sphere-shaped calabashes covered with a net of beads or shells. At the time, the chékéré played an important role in religious ceremonies and traditional dances. Through the slave trade, it made its way to Cuba and Brazil. In Spanish, it’s often called cabaça, while in Brazilian Portuguese you’ll also hear agbé or afoxé.

In the 1960s, jazz percussionist Bobby Rosengarden approached Martin Cohen, founder of the musical-instrument company Latin Percussion, and asked him to create a tougher chékéré that wouldn’t break during recording sessions. Because of their calabash bodies, traditional chékérés could crack easily—especially as they aged or if they were struck too hard—which is quite a drawback for a percussion instrument.

Cohen got to work. One day, while riding an elevator, he noticed a textured covering that could be perfect for the new instrument. He took a sample, went back to his workshop, wrapped it around a cylinder, then added a bead chain and a handle. The prototype of today’s cabasa was born.

Martin Cohen then helped popularize this African musical instrument, which proved far more durable than the chékéré. He named his prototype the Afuche Cabasa. What’s more, it offered more creative possibilities than the chékéré—so much so that most professional musicians now largely choose cabasas over chékérés.

While the first chékérés were crafted from natural materials—specifically a dried calabash (a spherical or pear-shaped gourd) fitted with a net of beads—modern manufacturing has enabled the creation of more durable instruments.

Today’s cabasas use a long steel ball chain wrapped around a wooden or plastic cylinder, which is itself covered with a textured metal sheet. A handle (often made of the same material as the cylinder) is added for a more secure grip. The result is a rugged instrument that’s easy to transport.

Your non-dominant hand (usually the left for right-handed players) applies light pressure to the ball chain to shape the sound’s intensity, while your dominant hand holds the handle and rotates or shakes the instrument in a back-and-forth motion. Depending on the rhythm you’re aiming for, this produces a smooth, continuous sound or a more choppy, articulated one.

Main movements:

• Rotation: constant pivoting of the cylinder between the fingers, for a steady, continuous sound.
• Shaking: a wider movement to create accents or highlight syncopation.
• Differential pressure: by varying the pressure of the non-dominant hand, you can create choking and dampening effects.

Some percussionists also rub the ball chain with a triangle beater to get a drier sound, or to create a controlled scrape on just one section of the cylinder.

Finally, there is a variant called foot cabasa, designed to attach to a drum pedal and be played with the foot, adding an original rhythmic texture to modern drum setups.

The cabasa is an African instrument that, like the kalimba, is often used in music therapy, especially with people living with disabilities or neurological aftereffects.

For one thing, it requires only a very small range of hand movement, which makes it accessible to many players. For another, the wide variety of motions—and therefore sounds—encourages users to develop ever-smoother and more complex movements. This makes the cabasa ideal for supporting new neural pathways and improving fine motor skills.

Some therapists use flexible-chain models to make gripping easier, or versions that can be mounted on a stand, reducing the need to hold the instrument in hand.

• Clean the cylinder with a slightly damp cloth to remove dust.
• Check the ball chain: if any beads get tangled or stuck, free them gently without forcing.
• Inspect the metal sheet: if there are major dents, carefully reshape it to help preserve resonance.
• If needed, lubricate the joint between the handle and the cylinder if the motion starts to feel rough or unpleasant.

• Latin jazz: The cabasa is highly prized for its refined metallic tone. It often supports the main percussion instruments (congas, bongos, and timbales) to enrich the rhythmic bed, especially in bossa nova and samba-jazz.
• Bossa nova: in this Brazilian style, the cabasa adds a subtle, continuous pulse texture that pairs beautifully with rhythm guitar and light drumming.
• Traditional Afro-Latin music: the calabash version (chékéré) is still used in sacred and popular dances (candomblé, afoxé) in Brazil, as well as in Cuban folk styles (rumba, son).
• Classical music and orchestras: More and more contemporary scores for orchestra, concert band, and percussion ensemble feature the cabasa for color and texture effects.

• Cal Tjader: a Latin jazz vibraphonist who helped popularize the cabasa in the 1960s.
• Paulinho da Costa and Lennie Castro: renowned Los Angeles session percussionists, often heard on pop and jazz records for their cabasa grooves.
• Morgan Nicholls and Steve Shehan: versatile musicians who weave the cabasa into a wide range of projects (pop, world music).
• Michael Franks: a jazz singer whose songs often use the cabasa to deepen an intimate, laid-back feel.

In schools, the cabasa can be a great first percussion instrument: it’s easy to hold, and it produces an interesting sound right away. It’s also ideal for introducing beginners to pulse, syncopation, and ostinato.

In intercultural educational workshops, the cabasa is a useful way to explore Afro-American and Latin American music while comparing the calabash version (traditional chekere) with the metal version. Plus, the precision required to control volume helps develop hand-to-hand and hand-eye coordination in younger children, supporting improved fine motor skills.