Days 18 & 19 12/1/13 & 13/1/13 - Our second Weekend
I woke up on Saturday not feeling too great. I felt that the two weeks of work was taking its toll on my body. I wasn't the only one who was showing signs of illness. I felt a fever coming on and my throat was sore. Hence all I did throughout the day was mostly lie in bed and take care of my health.
Myriam, Mandy, Rona and Jane were leaving today. After a second set of goodbyes and group photos I retired to my room and was zoning in and out of consciousness and woke up in the evening remembering the smell and taste of amazing hot lemon tea with honey courtesy Justine via Tannis. God bless them.
The next day was my birthday. I don't think too many people knew this and that is the way I like it. Tannis however, was the first one to give me my gift bag - a bookmark, a greeting card and a painted record. I had to make sure my phone battery was charged to be able to receive phone calls from India. Felt nice to talk to family and friends back home.
The next morning I was feeling much better. The day in bed helped. I had enough energy to fill in for the missing Dunun player at the dance class. It was a good experience playing the Dunun and Sangban for Djansa and Sunun. The dancers left in class are Justine and Tannis, the two main students of dance apart from Myriam in this workshop. The dance is coming together and Salimatu is really able to push the envelope with these two.
In the meanwhile Tapha had started work on my cow skins (the ones that Bruno had left for me). It is a lot of hard work. Slowly and surely we progress. By the end of the day I noticed half of the work done.
Tannis and I, we decided to make our way to the neighbouring fishing village, Kafountine. After lunch, the wonderful Abudu took us in his cab. "Is possible you drive?", he asked me smiling... It sure was possible I thought. I drove all the way to Kafountine and some parts on the way back as well. Felt nice to be behind the wheel (despite not having proper brakes in the car). Felt nice not to be a tourist for a while!
behind the wheel... aaaaaaah!
'oops... no breaks,' Tannis thinks to herself... ;)
We first saw the beach where there were Boats as far as the eye could see on the shore and many sheds full of fish and lots of black smoke. This where they smoked the fish. This is a major centre of fish export; nationally and internationally. We accompanied Abudu to his regular fish shop where we bought what we were going to eat the next day for dinner.
Kafountine beach
Fishermen, boats - Kafountine shore
After the initial typically touristy places to shop we headed towards the town market and found the shops where they sold cloth material. I wanted to pick some authentic cloth designs up for the Taal Inc. Rhythm Ensemble Season 2 Attire. I think the new avatar should be very exciting; both visually and musically.
Next on my list was Shea butter. I saw them being sold in small cubes stored in water. I bought a kilo of butter to take back for the care and nourishment of many Djembe hands back home in India. The body shop Shea butter just doesn't cut it. As the salesman cut the butter he popped a bit into his mouth, demonstrating the multifaceted uses of this product. The next door sales person very cool and calm; walked up to our salesman, stuck his hand into the bag and took a bit of the butter and lined the insides of his nostrils with the butter. One can safely infer that Shea butter is the West African version of Kailash Jeevan.
After all that shopping interspersed with the odd happy birthday phone call, we started on our way back.
'too cool for school' - in Kafountine, Senegal, Africa - FACE PALM!
the patient Abudu; tolerating US, tourist shoppers
We passed the village at Abene's tip called Dianna where there was a local festival. This is where Tannis had spotted Le Concurrent earlier. We decided to stop and watch for a bit and spotted two amazing characters.
Kumpo: kumpo or kunpo is a man dressed in a green grassy costume from head to toe with a spear sticking out of his head. The cultural significance of the spear, I do not know. I noticed that there were girls on one side and boys on one side of the area and kumpo went to whichever side sang with more energy and vigour The songs had very few words and more 'oh's' and 'aaaaah's'. One of his main dance steps was sticking the spear on this head into the ground and spiralling along that axis. I was quite an amazing sight to witness.
Kunpo - the grassy twirler person!
Kunpo amidst his admirers
M'bose / M'boss: this character is dressed in black and has a mask of a wolf covering his face. He made a guest appearance during kumpo's performance where he scared a majority of the audience and then went away. Later, he came in full-form. Wherever he went towards people and especially kids would run helter skelter. I later learned that his main aim is to get everyone in the festival get off their seats and dance.
M'bose - shudder shudder - dance dance!
It is truly a sight to see how an entire community of people, regardless of age, are engaged with this folklore. Of course just like the west and the orient, these community events have reduced from weekly get-together to only festivals but it is heartening to know that the youth responds not only to Bob Marley. I found out some more information about Le Concurrent: this character comes to a village just when / immediately after a negative phenomenon takes place (mysterious death, stillborn, big theft etc.) because he can sense these occurrences beforehand. The person who takes on the persona of Le Concurrent is no ordinary person; he is someone who knows 'Gree Gree' (talisman with divine energy) and has a special spiritual connection. The reason he darts about around the village with his machetes is to drive away the evil from the village and from the people. These are the ways of mysterious Africa.
We returned; but not without stopping at Abudu's compound to pick some fresh Mandarins for dessert that night... Ah, what a life!
Abudu the large-hearted man!
With nightfall, I realized that my body still needed rest and especially in lieu of what awaited us in the next four days.
I returned from my 3 month Europe sabbatical with a backpack full of wine and cheese, a heart full of memories from the recent past and an empty mind, not knowing the fate of things to come...
For one final attempt at inspirational direction, I headed to Singapore, home to my parents and coincidentally at that point in time, Mamady Keita's Mini Guinea Djembe Workshop organized by Kelvin Kew's lila Drums. It was this experience that started it all for me in my opinion. It seemed to be the perfect blend of creative energy, warmth, hospitality, instruction, information, direction, structure and vibe.
I returned to India after having made many a connection with people who share the same mission, that of rhythm and most importantly,after having rekindled the connection to my own rhythm.
The idea of Taal Inc. that was brewing on the back-burner and surfacing as the intermittent community drum circle and the odd innovative rhythmic idea had boiled over on more than one occasion by now... It was hence, time for the plunge.
Treading on uncharted territory, it was only after a while and kind guidance from friends that the legalities of Taal Inc. got in place and I decided to start traditional West-African Djembe class at the High Spirits Cafe', Pune, thanks to the kindness of owner and supporter of the Arts, Khodu Irani. As curious and motivated students gravitated towards this class, it seemed to me that this path was the need of the hour and I carried on.
Simultaneously, I rounded up some of my drumkit students and introduced them to the djembe hoping it would have the same effect when I was shown the djembe for the first time by my first drum teacher and mentor Mr. Zubin Balsara. After several attempts at this, I managed to find three crusaders to add to the roster; Mr. Agneya 'Topgun' Chikte, Mr. Dhir Mody and Mr. Bipin Revankar. Out of these three, Bipin was the only one who had actually played a Djembe before this. Agneya and Dhir were ready to learn and learn, they did. I found another enthusiastic multi-talented character, Mr. Amar Kulkarni for the Sangban and Kenkeni and his partner in crime, Mr. Abhijit 'Zee Zoo' Jejurikar on Dununba. Zee Zoo is originally a keyboard player who will give his arm and a leg for the love of music. To add some melody to the otherwise only percussive mayhem, I asked my dear friends Wendy Burby (who is the official Taal Inc. All-Round-Cool-Person) Pragnya 'Yogi Bear' Wakhlu and Vineet Alurkar to join in. Now that I look back, I think that there is some greater force at play here that attracted this mad bunch of gems to each other because I cannot think of doing anything without them today - the birth of the Taal Inc. Rhythm Ensemble
The Taal Inc. Rhythm Ensemble
After checking with Khodu, I decided that the 9th of February 2011 would be the day that the Taal Inc. Students Ensemble & the Taal Inc. Rhythm Ensemble would make their début performances. This would be the birth of Taal Inc. celebrated by an evening of percussion and joy.
As the day neared my wandering soul was given direction by the kindness of Wendy Burby, Sneha Nair and Solonie Singh Pathania (who is now an integral part of team Taal Inc.)
The Taal Inc. Launch Event at the High Spirits Cafe, Koregaon Park, Pune.
I approached the very talented, Nikhil More to put a symbol to this spirit that is Taal Inc.; an icon that people from every background would be able to associate with. This led to the creation of the logo.
The Taal Inc. Logo by Nikhil More
At his point it was important to communicate to people what exactly Taal Inc. is and for that I had the calm, precise, meticulous and creative eye of Afrah Shafiq who shot 'The Spirit of the Circle,' a documentary film about Taal Inc. Drum Circles.
The rate of movement was and continues to be overwhelming. At this point I'd like to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of you for being here in person, in spirit and in rhythm. Taal Inc. is where it is and has achieved what it has only because every single one of you have played your parts in its evolution.
I would like to welcome Janak Vadgama (my oldest friend and confidant with whom I'd talk about the idea that is today, Taal Inc.) and Anand Godse (my friend, who with his maverick research mind steers the newest training division of the company) to the family of Taal Inc.
5,25,600 minutes of rhythm... Here's what it sounded like...
It all started, officially, on Wednesday, the 9th of February 2011 with the Taal Inc. launch event which saw debut performances by the Taal Inc. Students Ensemble and the Taal Inc. Rhythm Ensemble; the fruition of a lot of hard work, blood, sweat and tears. We had the blessings of over 6 years of rhythmic goodwill in the avatar of community drum circles, ensemble performances and happy students on our side which helped gather momentum from the first note.
The Taal Inc. Rhythm Ensemble live @ The High Spirits, Pune.
We continued our mini tour of the metropolitans of Maharashtra. The 10th of Feb saw the Taal Inc. Rhythm Ensemble perform at the Kalaghoda Arts Festival, Mumbai.
Day 2: The Taal Inc. Rhythm Ensemble live @ the Kalaghoda Arts Festival, Mumbai.
Our next milestone was our largest. We drummed with 1000 employees of ADP on the 1st of May 2011. No turning back now, I said to myself and with the blink of an eye we surpassed our goal of 40 drum circles in 2011 by 15.
Taal Inc. Drum Circles for ADP at the convention centre at the Marriott, Pune.
At Taal Inc., content is our forté. We make sure that we understand what sustains our core and we honour that spirit. That is what makes us different. And to know exactly what I am talking about, I invite you all to view the Taal Inc.(sights) album made by our charming Brand Manager, Solonie Singh Pathania. And in her words, "Taal Inc. is not just a company or a band, its a community and what makes it so special are its people. It's their energy and individuality that makes Taal Inc. so unique. This album is a small attempt to get you to know some of the most awesome people, I have had the pleasure of knowing, a little better."
In keeping with the ripple effect, I soon collaborated with percussionist greats such as Sivamani and Amit Kilam (Indian Ocean) in my persuit of spreading rhythm to every corner of the country. My aim: A drum in every household.
Varun collaborating with Sivamani at a Drum Circle @ Pune Central, Ganesh Khind Road, Pune.
In Gurgaon, with Amit Kilam (Indian Ocean) and Montry (Swarathma)
Because, it s all about coming together!
Next stop: San Diego! 2011 and 2012 being years of the Djembe in the antient calendars of Rhythm, I made sure that I met my master Mamady Keita at every opportunity I got. This Workshop that was held in San Diego was a Grandmasters tour of the States where I got to learn from the great Famoudou Konate as well. Many Countries, many heritages, one drum, one cause!
With the Grandmasters: Famoudou Konate (left) and Mamady Keita (right)
Back home, work seemed to continue without respite. Our corporate clientele increased with each week; as did our college list. Equilibrium being of utmost importance, we make sure that we reach out to every strata and kind of population possible. As a part of the independent research papers that I am undertaking, I, along with a team of researchers, completed my first project-focused report on 'Exploring the potential of Group-Drumming as a Group-Therapy', which should be ready for publication soon, Inshallah! This study was conducted with two groups of Women in Prostitution in Mumbai. Then, came the Largest Drum Circle in the World Campaign. We at Taal Inc. were proud flag-bearers of the India Chapter of this movement, gathering 250+ participants who drummed for peace, unity and community on the 17th of September 2011. We intend to keep this up as an annual pursuit.
Taal Inc. s Community Drum Circle at Arc Asia... the start of a revolution
We conducted a series of drum circles with corporate groups and colleges for the music festival NH7 Weekender held in Magarpatta City in November 2011. This was a great way to spread awareness of a music festival of the 21st century and also of Taal Inc. and its spirit of inclusion.
Taal Inc. Drum Circles for students of FLAME as a part of the road to NH7 with Taal Inc. campaign
The Taal Inc. Rhythm Ensemble secured itself a spot on the live music scene of the country post the NH7 Weekender by taking the audience by storm and leaving them with what we have come to call, 'Dancy Shoe Syndrome', a disease we like to spread... that along with 'Percussionitis.'
The Taal Inc. Rhythm Ensemble pre performance at the Pepsi Dubstation stage at the Bacardi NH7 Weekender Festival
Corporate work kept pouring in. We work with large groups as a typical conference starter/finisher or even smaller groups as an exponent of behavioural training where the therapeutic takeaway is more. Either way, once Taal Inc.'d, you'll taste no other.
Taal Inc. Drum Circles for Tech Mahindra at Hinjewadi, Pune.
In addition to all of this, to keep in touch with the music scene I make sure to be involved with those, who have influenced or moved me in terms of my musical upbringing. I played a series of gigs with my boys from Agnee (IIT Powai's Mood Indigo & The LIFE OK Channel Webcert being the highlight of the gigs) and also Nikhil Dsouza (The Bandra Festival, Mumbai amongst others). What sets these musicians apart is a sense of passion and originality that is reflected in their music. I am proud to be a part of these musical quests. There is no other way considering that the path of a warrior can otherwise, be a lonely one.
Musical Connections - Varun Venkit and the Taal Inc Rhythm Ensemble collaborating with Agnee, Shilpa Rao, Salim Merchant, Chang, Monali Thakur and Papon.
Rhythm and Dance go hand in hand. It takes one to appreciate the other and so The Rhythm Ensemble collaborated with Hrishikesh's Centre for Contemporary Dance to put up a one of a kind show titled, 'Rhythm and Movement with a Conscience', a fund raiser concert for The Blue Cross Society of India; working in aid of stray animals.
Rhythm and Movement with a Conscience - Where Drum makes Dance a Rhythm. (High Spirits, Pune)
I am very proud to announce the first trimester module of West - African Drumming by Taal Inc. at the Symbiosis Centre for Liberal Arts (SCLA), Pune. This is our first step towards introducinig the Djembe to an audience as insidiously as possible. Come February 2012, we will have our first batch of Djembefolas. Look out for these young guns...
We have a lot of exciting ideas planned for 2012. I am very excited to welcome each and every one of you into a day in the life of Taal Inc. To know more...
The walk from the Aussie house to Kava is much shorter and so, I woke up at the usual time (7:00 am) and had time for some Suryanamaskar (Sun - Salutation) and some breakfast (Peanut butter and jelly sandwich and muesli) before I went to Kava for our last class with Mamady. I must admit that I was feeling rather sad about that. I was happy to drum of course, but there was a heavy feeling in my stomach.
I think Mamady probably expected this feeling in the air in class and so we played a rhythm called 'Kedju'. This rhythm is one of Mamady's creations and is a joke between young people (boys and girls) The word 'Kedju' means 'ugly'. It doesn't mean 'ugly' in a mean, hurtful manner but in a way of lightly and lovingly teasing somebody. One night in Balandugu, Mamady heard some children sing this song. The rhythm just came to him thereafter. The Dunun pattern in this rhythm is a very interactive one. The patterns came (and usually come) to him as a melody. Mamady broke down this melody as individual Dununba, Sangban and Kenkeni parts. The djembe accompaniments have been taken from traditional rhythms. This is a rhythm full of a very childlike, fun, free and joyous energy. The girls gather around on one side and the boys on another and sing this song to each other with their facial expressions and body/hand gestures following in animated vigour. They sing to each other, "The friendship of an ugly boy/girl; that doesn't please me!"
Like so:
Kedju - The friendship of an ugly boy, that doesn t please me!
The words to the song are:
Kedju La Kanin (An ugly friendship)
Sunguru (ugly girl) / Kamberin (ugly boy)
Kedju La Kanin Mandinye (It doesn't please me)
Here's what this cute song sounds like: Kedju Song
The song was led by Monette who walked in around an hour or two into our class (after our initial break) and brought along with her a breath of fresh air: her daughter Nasira. Here's a cute picture of the family:
Nasira, Monette and Mamady - Picture Perfect!
The first half of our class was not easy to get through. We performed the long break in the introduction (created by Mamady) and this took us a while to get correctly. I knew this break previously as we had played it during the Mini-Guinea workshop in Singapore for the Pyramid Performance yet, it was a much needed revision for me. I can feel the difference in how I feel while playing the djembe now in comparison to last year. I believe that I am able to play with more awareness and control. My precision with the tone and slap has also improved over the last ten days. After sorting out some hairy portions in the break, we finally got the phrase decently with Mamady playing along with us. but since 'Trust should not exclude testing', we played it many a time without Mamady and finally started playing with rhythm, feeling, technique and precision; the four components of a good Djembefola/folette.
"The djembe is an energetic and natural instrument," said Mamady as he emphasized the primal nature of the djembe. The spirit of the Djembe is similar to the spirit of Nature; inclusive, communicative, giving, unconditional and omnipresent. I remembered Mamady talking about communications taking place on various levels when one plays the djembe during the Singapore workshop as well. Firstly, he said that while playing the djembe, one makes a connection with the djembe. Therefore one doesn't need to look at the instrument while playing since the spirit of the player and the djembe are already one. Secondly, one communicates with the dunun section behind the djembe. This is the foundation, the basis on which the djembe speaks and colours rhythmically. Next, one communicates with the rest of the band/ensemble while playing the djembe. And lastly, (and most importantly) one communicates with the audience one is playing for. The djembefolas (and any performer for that matter) open their hearts while performing. They feed off of the energy of the audience and if not, in Mamady's words, "It doesn't work."
This is what the break and the rhythm 'Kedju' sounds like: Kedju Break
After our class finished Mamady spoke and really reached out to all our hearts. He said that it was the end of this workshop with him but not the end of the world. We would all take back what we have learned in these ten days and if we put it to good use and spread it in the spirit it was taught to us I believe we would be respecting both Mamady and Famoudou.
"Whenever you touch your Djembe, even if it's for two seconds, know that my heart and Famoudou's heart are with you. You are not like the white people (or foreigners - to be fair, sensitive to and inclusive of the multi-coloured turn out of this Mini Guinea workshop) who came to Africa centuries ago, because you really know our culture. You understand and are genuinely interested in it and will share it in it's truest spirit. We love you very much. Thank you for your energy because it was because of that that we could open ourselves to you." I felt my eyes well-up as I heard these words; words of a master of the highest calibre, speaking humbly from his heart to mine (to ours); words that felt like a band-aid over a wound, to ease and heal the scar of a very deep, surgical learning process. It felt like, love.
Moving slowly but with smiles on our faces, we decided to go to the beach: the only part of San Diego I was yet to see. The group was Keli (San Diego Best Host contender # 1), Kim (also San Diego Best Host contender # 1), Devra (a.k.a MJ), Tannis, Jamie (from Canada), Kun (from China) and Sue. There is a certain something about the beaches of San Diego that surpassed my impression which was hitherto, purely based out of watching 'Baywatch'. There were Pelicans and seagulls everywhere. It was nice to see the skill of surfers up front and live. We played some football, lazed around and eventually headed to Sunset Cliffs experience the legendary West-Coast Sunset. I think that it was here that I felt a positive sense of inspiration and completion. Not that this was my last day. I have one more day with Famoudou but nonetheless. Over the past two weeks, I have met people from all over the world who have been bitten by the Percussionitis bug, united by the djembe. I've been witness to hospitality, culture, new friendships and new connections all thanks to this instrument. It was one of those moments when I felt connected to the universal source of energy. Thank you Tam Tam Mandingue for making this possible.
And in continuation and scaling-up of my Cartwheel tour of Europe, I thought I'd include America in this as well. What can I say, I felt inspired...
Sunset Cliffs
Tomorrow we drum with Famoudou. We drum for peace, we drum... Come. Drum. Be One.
As I walk to Kava gallery every morning, a little pattern is evolving. I walk down India street. I take a moment to stop, stare and appreciate the Jacaranda trees as I walk a few blocks ahead. I stop at the Seven Eleven and pick up some fruits and my morning coffee. I am invariably going over the previous day's rhythm in my head and letting my thoughts wander. Before I know it, I reach the venue where the early birds are ensuring that they've gotten te best seats in the class, that their recorders are in place and working correctly, practising their technique, enjoying some morning sun and so on.
Before I start describing what rhythm we played today, I'd like to share another wonderful story uncovered by fellow djembefola, music composer, producer and friend Bruno Coon who also, incidentally, is the person who has worked with A. R. Rehman and played some Cora/Kora for him on one of his projects. (Yes, I will get more information on this). The world is small is probably an overused sentence but the connections that draw us all close together never cease to amaze me. Here's a story that Pune will be very proud of: (In Bruno's words)
Bruno Coon: "So I had the phrase "Carpe Diem" in mind and remembered that it doesn't directly translate the way most people use it: 'Seize the Day' but it is closer to 'Pluck the Day' or maybe 'Harvest..' It's from a Ovid poem about the uncertainty of life.
In the poem it says "Don't listen to Babylonian soothsayers" So the Internet being what it is, I thought I'd look up "Babylonian Soothsayers". Well, Wiki doesn't have it, which means I win some kind of prize. What did turn up was a story about a religious practice among Babylonians.
They would tie a ball of yarn tight, play drums, burn incense and sing prayers. Then they would bat the ball back and forth. The length of time it took for the ball to unwind was the length of the petitioner's life. This ritual moved as a game to India where it took the name of the city that it was most popular in: Pune.
Now of course, that has attained a new resonance. Then a bit later the English showed up and stuck a few feathers in the ball and took the game with them, where it became a regular event at the mansion of a man named Badminton. So, now I know that Badminton/Pune was once a serious ritual to determine one's fate. And there were drums."
Absolutely fascinating don't you think?I was blown away. Thanks Bruno for sharing this with me. It's been a pleasure drumming with you.
Mamady starts by saying, "You're still on Planet: Mamady!", so we were going to do one more of Mamady's rhythms. Today we played one called, 'Balandugu Sila.' Balandugu is the village where Mamady is from and 'Sila' means 'The Route/the way/or (sometimes) the path." The path from Conakry to Balandugu is about a thousand kilometres long. The journey starts at the South-West and ends at the North-East of Guinea. "Some parts of the road are bad and some are good," said Mamady as he told us how the scenery changes as the journey progresses from a coastal horizon to mountainous regions and then to the Savanah; the land of Mandingue.
After 26 long years of training, travelling and performing Mamady's journey home was a memorable one. This journey always took him back to his early days. There were happy moments, sad moments, funny and humorous moments on this journey home. This rhythm is an anchor for that part of his life.
We started with the song towards the end of the class and according to Mamady we would not have time to sing the entire song in the true way it is supposed to be sung (minus our respective accents!). Hence we only got a demonstration of the full version.
We sang a short version of the song. The song remained just as sweet and thought provoking.
The words to the song are:
Sila Laka Eh
Sile Laka Ehhhhh
Balandugu Sila Laka
(Translated as - Open the road, open the way to Balandugu)
And this is what the short version of the song sounds like: (Make sure you hear the whole piece to experience the progression in the intensity of the song and the singers!
Mamady gave us some teasing and tantalizing phrases to play in the technique or improvisation section. It was just the stuff I needed to sink my teeth into. I noticed that everybody was pushing it and really striving hard to get their technique and chops sorted out. I also noticed that Mamady pushed us that extra bit so that we would rise up to the occasion and emerge from these ten days having successfully journeyed to the top of the mountain.
Mamady searching for technique phrases. Tara on Sangban, Hiroki on Kenkeni and Sico on Dununba
Today two people bid us adieu, Tara and Michael. With a heavy heart the eventuality of goodbye's is nearing us. I do hope to see this very room of international djembefola's and djembefolette's drumming under one roof, by a beach or in a small village in India. Tomorrow we ride with Famoudou to a land of a new story, a new rhythm and a new song. Come. Drum. Be One.
This one is going to be a long one since all this drumming, sight seeing (as you will read in a bit) and blog writing has left me with little sleep. Apologies for those who looked for yesterday's entry and did not find one. This one has a two day report crunched into one.
Monette's band played at Humphrey's by the bay on shelter island drive. Kim Lohnas (contender number 1 for the 'best host' prize) drove Tannis, Daniel and myself to the venue. It was a beautiful drive. We passed India Street (Yes, I am staying at 500 West Hotel, located on Broadway and India street. Ha!) and Pacific Highway where we saw an old Piret's-of-the-Caribbeanesque ship called 'Star of India.' Ha. Ha.) I was surprised at the reference to India everywhere around me. The concert was a wonderful celebration. Monette brought the house down with her energy and beautifully soulful music. The TTM professors opened both sets with some traditional West-African drumming and each one did not cease to amaze and entertain everybody in the audience.
We got the best seats in the house I'd say. Mamady was hanging out with us; when he was not on stage of course grooving it on the congas. I asked him when he learned the Conga's and he said that he didn't and smiled.
Grandmaster Mamady Keita and moi - I 'm so overwhelmed I can t keep my eyes open!
The night was full of energy, dancing, good food, wine, more dancing and a lot of positive vibes. It's performances like these that reassure me about the path that I walk. Performing, as an occupation, seems rather self-indulgent at times. As consolation, I remind myself that self-indulgence is a personal trait that can only be magnified by the profession one chooses. Everyone out on stage that day was overflowing with joy and love. Regardless of their trysts with fame, glamour and glitz, every member on stage and off was representing love, humility and that's what made the evening and the music come alive. You are as good a musician as you are a human was what I was thinking about as I left Humphrey's for the after-party at Winchell's Donut House where we had some doughnuts sandwiches and something to drink to bring us down from the energy high thanks to the music. This brings me to contender number 2 for the 'best host' prize - Keli Ross M'au. He plays steel drums with Monette's band, teaches and gigs in and around town a lot and is the most warm hospitable guys in the workshop. The competition is fierce though.
The next photo was taken after the gig since we found that if not for this workshop, none of us would have been here, together, learning, sharing, celebrating:
One World - Many Voices - One Rhythm. From left top to right - Cairns, New-Jersey, Tel Aviv, Utah, Singapore, Brussels, Rio De Janeiro, San Diego, Pune (Maharashtra) East Side, Chicago
Monday morning - After sleeping only a few hours I, but I'm positive I could safely generalize without too much opposition that, we trudged along to Kava, body tired but excited nonetheless, to drum our hearts out since it was day 6 already; that meant only four more days to go!
Famoudou started this day with a story. He said, "When I say that we (Mamady and Famoudou) love women, it means we love life!"
He continued and gave us a brief history of his beginnings. Famoudou was born in 1940 near Sangbaralla, a village in the Hamanah region of Upper Guinea, the Malinké heartland and the birthplace of the Dunun family of rhythms. His father was a great farmer, hunter and fetish-maker. In fact, he had a special house for his 'Gree Gree'. Famoudou's father had eight wives and 45 children. Along with the 8 persons for domestic help, they were a large family. His father used to get djembe's so that the children would be occupied with some activity or the other through the day. Every evening as Famoudou's father would return home, he would see Famoudou with the djembe. Traditionally, Konate's and Keita's should not be Djembefola's. They are the Noble's of their community. Both masters have, nonetheless dedicated their lives to the djembe and spreading its awareness all across the globe. Thank their playful and adventurous spirits for that.
We then got down to work and played a rhythm called 'Soboninkun'. This rhythm is from Wassolon originally but we played the version that Famoudou had created, from Hamanah. The dance is similar in both versions but there are differences in the rhythm from both places.
Soboninkun is the name of a mask representing a small animal's head. It is a very special dance that requires much skill, a good sense of balance, initiation and excellent physical condition. The dance is usually performed after the big harvest.
The song that we sung along with this rhythm was about a small bird that flies and speaks. It speaks words of wisdom that should be spread far and wide all across the country. This bird, it was said, has the power to foretell a possible bad occurrence or omen. As we know, polygamy was common then and this song speaks about how there must be love amongst everybody, specially the wives. The price to pay for jealousy and hatred would be too high since it would mean neglect and lead to the bad upbringing of a child.
The words of the song are:
Keren Kono Nen Kasi Kan Diye
Ehhhhh
Keren Kono Nen Kasi Kan Diye
De Wolo Baiye Tono Rombaiye
(Translated as: It is easy to bring a baby into this world but who will look after that child if not a mother?)
As you would have heard in the previous audio clip, we played a lot of phrases that we could use for various parts of a solo or improvisation section. The beginning solo phrase is called 'Doma Tama'. After Doma Tama one is free to play, express and improvise interacting with the dununs and the dancers. Thereafter there is a section called 'Kumben(g)' where the djembefola meets the Sangban in rhythm. This is to say the djembe interacts with, compliments and locks in with the Sangban before he calls the rhythm to an end or passes his solo on.
This is Famoudou during the Dunun class. A true Soboninkun dancer:
Famoudou during Soboninkun - what a beautiful heart!:)
After class Sue (from Canada), Helen (from San Diego) and me, we went to The Burger Lounge in Little Italy on India Street, (yes, surprising right?). I had my first burger in San Diego! With every passing day I get know more about each participant in the workshop; their stories, their journey with the djembe, their philosophy and their spirit. All in all there was good company, good conversation and good food that afternoon.
See, what I mean:
The Burger Lounge - Lip Smackingly Yummy
After a quick change and freshening up I was ready and waiting for David Visiko and Sarah Heimlich to come pick Tannis and me up to go to Petco Park to watch my first live American Baseball Game: the San Diego Padre's v/s the Kansas City Royals! En route, we had to indulge ourselves some more with the all-American-pre-game-food. And the gastronomic adventure continues:
Fried pickles (Just like Pakoras)
And another American favourite:
Tater Tots! Mashed and then fried potatos (Just like Pakoras)
As you would imagine, I was very excited. Every little wish on my America to do list is being ticked off one by one. The San Diego Padre's won 4-3. Thanks to Dave and Sara it was a very informative, entertaining and fun experience. Right from the coordinated cheering, Mexican waves, the 7th innings stretch, singing the 'Take Me Out To The Ball Game' song, eating Ice-Cream Sundae's on souvenir San Diego Padre Hats, I did it all. Here are some pictures from the game:
Dave, Tannis and Sara - my partners in crime.
the Ball Park
We had great seats
Strike 1, 2, 3 - You' re Out!
Since, my only reference to Baseball was the movie Major League, I wanted to get a more realistic taste of the game. Mission accomplished.
