The following exploration is an excerpt from Flutes Jam: A Guide to Improvisation. In this section I compare the rhythmic pattern for the Brazilian rhythm Reunion, with the intervals for the Hindu scale I’ve been enjoying on flute. At the last samba practice, the band leader called for the “Six Eight” rhythm. Lately we’ve been learning an… Continue Reading
A few weeks ago I welcomed a new member of the household, a sixth-generation African kitten, named Phoenix Brightstar. She has been, according to her mood, cuddly and affectionate, or wild and playful. Adding to her ever-growing assortment of toys and playthings, I introduced a wooden, rainbow-colored shaker egg: good for keeping time to a… Continue Reading
On a recent long walk, as often happens, a persistent rhythm took shape in my consciousness and stuck, riding along with my steady stride. Which is not to say it was rigidly confined to an arbitrary 4/4 or 12/8 measure. Rather, only after I started thinking about it, did it lend itself to such possibility.… Continue Reading
There’s been a recent wave of discussion about an issue that hand drummers have faced (or not) since first beginning our journey with the drum: “cultural appropriation.” With the djembe having its roots in African culture, the question impinges on larger issues of race, identity, poverty, equality, respect. I would outline my own core beliefs… Continue Reading
I couple of winters ago I spent some time on the coast of southern Mexico in the state of Oaxaca, and discovered a troupe of young Mexicans playing a high level of West African music. In the hot humid climate the leader’s djembe rang out sharp and clear. How could he keep the skin so… Continue Reading
As a fledgling drummer and burning out environmental activist back in the ‘90s, I was happy to support the watershed logging protest camp at Hasty Creek with some conga beats by the campfire. Everyone has a role. Politics gets tiresomely verbal, and dangerously serious; yet those who stand must speak… so what better medium than… Continue Reading
I compiled the rhythms in the first Roots Jam book (1996) only five years into my own drum journey. I hit upon a notation method that could help me understand the timing structure of the many new rhythms I was learning, dividing the standard musical bar into visible divisions where the actual beats landed. I… Continue Reading
aerial silks at Zest “Temple Night” in Ubud, Bali Just had to leave an event dubbed “Temple Night” at the trendy organic vegan restaurant Zest in Ubud, Bali tonight, bludgeoned by the deadening relentless repetitive bass beats of the DJ, a celebrated star from Berlin. The mostly Millennial crowd mingled halfhearted in front of the… Continue Reading
