LP Udu Drum: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

This drum was made by Latin Percussion Inc. in Garfield, New Jersey, in 1999. It is an Udu Drum, made of brown clay, with a stand made of a ring of woven straw.

As indicated in an LP brochure from the period, “Artist, designer, teacher, and author, Frank Giorgini has developed a line of West African clay drums called Udu Drums. He first learned of these drums in 1974 on an educational trip to Zaria, Nigeria. Through years of development and experimentation, he has perfected his line of Udu Drums. They remain true to their origins while offering improved sound qualities and durability. They have since become extremely popular and are used by some of the world's leading percussionists. LP Udu® Drums possess distinct tonal qualities which range from subtle bass tones to soothing tabla-like tones. Their clay construction is based upon centuries-old African traditions. The name "Udu" has been derived from the Nigerian Ibo language meaning "pottery". Each LP Udu® Drum offers individual tonal values. They can be played by hitting any part of the drum with the palm of the hand or the fingertips. The textured surfaces provide additional tonal variations by creating rubbing sounds. The sound possibilities can be further expanded using the unique microphone ports found in each chamber. Small mics can be mounted for amplification and to capture the wondrous internal sounds.

LP Udu® Drums are generally played in a seated position with the drum on the player's lap. They can also be played on a table top or floor using the included straw ring stands. The LP Udu® Drum Mbwata is a vertical, dual chambered, 18" long drum. The lower 12" rounded chamber produces smooth, deep bass with dry tones. The smaller, flat 8" chamber creates sharp, "wet" sounds with bright tones. The top hole in the upper chamber and the side hole in the lower chamber, as well as the textured surface, combine to add many different sounds to this drum.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date made: 1999
• maker: Latin Percussion
• Object Name: drum
• Physical Description: ceramic (overall material)
• Physical Description: straw (overall material)
• Measurements: overall on stand: 17 1/2 in x 11 in; 44.45 cm x 27.94 cm
• place made: United States: New Jersey, Garfield
• ID Number: 2000.3039.07
• nonaccession number: 2000.3039
• catalog number: 2000.3039.07
• Credit Line: Transfer from Smithsonian Institution Center for Latino Initiatives (through: Dr.Refugio l. Rochin,Director)
• Data Source: National Museum of American History

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of American History through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed.