"Roll up de tassa!"
-Drupatee Ramgoonai




"Dingolay" is a hand played for dancing. The word "dingolay" is a Trinidadian Creole word that means "vigorous movements or dancing." This hand features a fast-paced, syncopated groove indeed suited for getting on bad! Please enjoy our rendition of this common tassa hand.
Hosay is the Trinidadian version of the Shi'a Muslim Ashura observance. The name comes from "Hosein," Mohammed's grandson whose martyrdom (along with that of his brother Hassan) is commemorated in the penitent time of Muharram. In Trinidad & Tobago, Hosay is marked by intense preparation leading to several days of public and private activities, the centerpiece of which is the parading of large replicas of Hussein's tomb, called tajahs, to the accompaniment of tassa drumming. This tradition began in Persia, then came to North India as Shi'a Islam spread to the region, and eventually came to Trinidad & Tobago as indentured laborers migrated to the region. Today, Hosay observances are largely limited to the neighborhood of St. James in Port of Spain and the isolated town of Cedros on the southern peninsula of Trinidad. In the video at right, you will see T&T Sweet Tassa accompanying a tajah procession in Cedros. If you would like to know more about Hosay, we recommend Frank Korom's book Hosay Trinidad: Muharram Performances in an Indo-Caribbean Diaspora or his film by the same name that includes discussion of the musical meaning of tassa in the context of the Hosay observance.


In the video at right, members of T&T Sweet Tassa perform with Swami Sachidananda and other Trinidadian musicians before a large crowd during a memorable trip to India.



In collaboration with Trinidad & Tobago entrepreneur Digital Business, Ltd., members of T&T Sweet Tassa provided consultation and the sounds of their instruments for the Digital Tassa App for iOS, Android, and Windows mobile devices. With this app, you can play tassa right on your mobile device! In the first video at right, members of T&T Sweet Tassa demonstrate the app at the 2014 Carnival Village in Port of Spain. In the second video, Lenny Kumar and representatives of Digital Business, Ltd. discuss the new app on Trinidad and Tobago's WIN Radio 101.1 FM.