General Information

African Music Encyclopedia
This is a truly encyclopedic site featuring artist bios, discographies, photos, glossary, and distributors, with links to in-depth information on the history and culture of the region. The links page needs to be updated, but the site is well worth checking out for its clear and vivid presentation of the material and useful listings of books and distributors.

African Percussions
Concise entries provide a basic introduction to the different African percussion instruments and their variants by country. There are pictures and also sound clips of the music these instruments produce.

AMG: African Music Terms
On this site, choose "World" from the button menu, then select "African Music Terms." Though far from comprehensive, this online glossary of African music terms serves as a guide for fans and students of the music genre but also allows a glimpse into the diverse history of African music. The definitions mostly cover musical movements specific to place and time while also providing examples of the artists who best represent these styles.

Dictionary of African Percussion
This is an excellent dictionary of African percussion, complete with illustrations and listings. The cultures and ethnic groups are also briefly touched upon to put things in context, and no musical terms used in the definitions are left unexplained for the layman.

Kalani Music
There are a number of African percussion clips you can listen to here if you have RealPlayer. Look up the education section to learn about playing, tuning, and avoiding injuries. Check up the resources page to find links to teachers, associations, and other fans pages on African percussion.

Roots World
This comprehensive site features reviews of recordings released in Africa over the last 10 years. Click on the more recent reviews to hear audio selections from both popular and lesser-known artists.