Welcome to the Shango Percussion Portal
In the Winter of 2025, Shangö Mountain Taiko has been hived off into it’s own dedicated web site.
Shangö Mounatain Taiko
Shangö Mountain Taiko is one of the very few (to our knowledge) rural/small town community Taiko Japanese Drumming groups in America. SMT is based artistic Berkeley Springs, WV, in the Appalachian foothills just west of the Shenandoah Valley. We’re Bringing the Heartbeat of Japanese Taiko to the Mountains of Appalachica.
We debuted at Morgan Arts Council’s Sakura Matsuri Japanese Spring Festival on Saturday, April 29th, 2023. We have since gone on to perform at Bringing in the May Farie Festival, The World Association of show Marching Bands in Buckhannon WV, and are continuting to train and study Taiko!
We hope you'll come play with us and expereince Taiko!
Shango Percussion Legacy Site
Shangö Percussion was founded as an amateur, inter-cultural group of drummers based in Berkeley Springs, VW, who pursued the serenity and life-affirming energy of the Drum. We studied and performed Traditional African, Middle Eastern, and Worldbeat Rhythms and conjured some of our own original compositions. Our Members made a commitment to learn and study these traditions, explore the potential of the Drum, and integrate rhythm into our lives and community. We also had a lot of fun!
The Original World Percussion group wound down during the COVID lockdowns, and Founder Bob Marggaf has since retired from acive participation. Kurt Griffith continued to teach, and since has launched our rather aspirational project, Shangö Mountain Taiko in the Spring of 2023.