Algaita

The algaita (also spelled alghaita, algayta or algheita) is a double reed wind instrument from the Sahelian region of West-Central Africa that is used by the Bamum, Hausa and Kanuri peoples in Cameroon and Nigeria. Its construction is similar to the oboe-like rhaita and the zurna. The algaita is distinguished from these other instruments by its larger, trumpet-like bell. Instead of keys, it has open holes for fingering, similar to the zurna.



Traditional recordings

 * Music from the Villages of Northeastern Nigeria (Folkways, 1971)
 * "Music of the Cameroon - The Fulani of the North" (Lyrichord 7334)

Use in jazz recordings

 * Yusef Lateef, In Nigeria, (YAL Records, 1983)
 * Yusef Lateef, The African-American Epic Suite (1994)