A wonderful few days with Jerry Chapman from the Stó:Lō Nation. He is a very creative builder of Native drums. We met many years ago when I was asking an event organiser if there were any Native drums that I could use and Jerry was passing by at the time and remarked “I have a van full of drums.” We have been friends ever since. Seeing the drum set-ups I have used with drums from around the world on a rack, inspired him to use deer antlers for hardware and experiment with different sizes and shapes for Native drums.
A very interesting documentary about the young drummers in Iran, who are keeping the ancient tradition of tonbak (Persian drum) playing alive.
Having spent time with the Mi’kmaq I was fascinated to find this video about the ji’kmaqn, a uniquely made percussive shaker. In the past this instrument was illegal to use or own. This video helps tell the story and remind people of the part it has played in Mi’kmaq culture.
Honoured to be part of Canadian singer Buffy MacNeil’s recording project – Voices of the Silenced of Residential Schools. This video “Somebody Pray” is part of the project that began to unfold in January 2021 when Buffy MacNeil envisioned the ways she could support the health and well-being of Indigenous youth. She hopes to release an album which will support the creation of a youth care and advocacy centre in the community of the Paq’tnkek Mi’kmaw Nation.
Drummer John Hendrickson from Kansas City took a drum idea I had captured on video and played his own wonderful part to the original groove. During this season of ‘being home’ it is exciting to see the incredible creative ideas that the internet allows us.
Incredible drumming and singing at the 60th Annual Eastern Shoshone Indian Days Powwow on the Wind River Reservation in Fort Washakie, Wyoming, from the Walking Buffalo Singers from Big River Saskatchewan, Canada. A new generation of young singers – most related to the original group who recorded three albums.
Jerry Chapman from the Stó:Lō Nation playing a Northwest Coast box drum
After an evening of listening to storytelling and songs from Ray Hughes in a church in Milford Haven I got to play a tabwrrd, a traditional Welsh drum. That day I had been doing some research about this instrument and found out that there was only one drum maker in the whole of Wales who still made this traditional drum. So you can imagine my joy in turning up to a church who had a drum made by this same company. Two days later I met the makers and I am now excited to tell you that they are now in the process of making me a drum. Read More
I love how rhythm starts with what you have around you. In some places it’s as simple as water! The Baka woman from Cameroon, Gabon and Congo use the sounds of water to accompany their songs – as do the woman of Vanuatu, a volcanic archipelago in the south Pacific.
