About This Item
The LP617 Double Sambago Bells trace their ancestry to some of the most foundational percussion instruments in the entire history of Afro-Brazilian music. The agogo bell, from which the Sambago design descends, originated in West Africa and traveled to Brazil through the transatlantic slave trade, where it became an indispensable rhythmic element in candomble religious ceremonies, capoeira practice, and ultimately samba and other popular Brazilian musical forms. Latin Percussion introduced the wooden agogo bell to the North American market in the 1960s as part of its founding mission to make authentic Latin and Brazilian percussion instruments available to North American musicians, and the Sambago represents the next evolution of that legacy, taking the fundamental pitch relationship and playing concept of the traditional agogo and rebuilding it in a material that can withstand the physical demands of modern professional performance without degradation or damage. Traditional wooden agogo bells are fragile: the wood can crack under repeated striking, the pitch relationship between the two bells can shift as the wood responds to humidity changes, and the natural variation between individual instruments means that tonal consistency from one set to the next is never guaranteed. LP's proprietary Jenigor material solves all of these problems simultaneously. Jenigor is a specially formulated compound that is virtually indestructible under normal performance conditions, impervious to humidity and temperature changes that affect wood, and manufactured to consistent dimensional tolerances that ensure the pitch relationship between the high and low bells is reproducible and reliable across every LP617 that leaves the factory. The one-minor-third pitch interval between the two bells is musically significant: this particular interval creates the call-and-response tonal texture that defines agogo and Sambago playing in traditional and contemporary Latin and Brazilian contexts, giving the player two complementary voices that speak to each other rhythmically and harmonically within a single instrument. The eyebolt mounting assembly allows the LP617 to be positioned on any standard 3/8-inch diameter rod at any angle the player requires for comfortable and ergonomic striking technique. For drummers who want to add authentic bell percussion to a kit setup, for percussionists in Latin and Brazilian ensembles who need a reliable and projecting bell voice, and for music educators who want a genuinely indestructible classroom instrument that introduces students to Afro-Brazilian bell traditions, the LP617 is the answer. Backed by Latin Percussion, the LP617 brings centuries of musical heritage into a format built for the realities of professional performance.
