Great non-African bands

[Michel]

Come on! Nothing wrong with this kind of reactions. But maybe it's about time that our mysteryguest Tony introduces himself in the introductions section.

[bkidd]

My own reaction to guidotony69's entrance on the boards was surprise because his introductory posts have been strongly critical and generally negative. To me, the word that epitomizes this forum is "helpful". The majority of the posts center around people sharing ideas, experiences, and opinions with the goal of helping out the community at large. This doesn't mean that that we're a boring or humorless lot (as evidence by the many posts in the humor section). It just means that helpfulness is the spirit of this forum. Personally, I'm more interested in reading thoughtful reactions and posts where I learn something. There's plenty of that on these boards, which keeps me coming back and inspires me to contribute something useful.

Cheers,
-Brian

[bkidd]

davidognomo wrote:
well, when it comes to non-african bands of west african percussion, I guess that, no matter what is the style of the band, ballet or traditional, we always know that there is a bunch of people in west africa that do it or could do it better. Or am I wrong?

i'm not sure this is a west-african versus non-west-african dichotomy. people create music for a number of reasons / contexts. the great thing about music is that many niches exist and hopefully groups can find their place. it seems unlikely that one could not achieve a high-level of professional playing if a group put in the time and effort.

That said, I think that the purpose of us playing it it's because we love it, and cannot not do it. I wonder about the role of non-africans in the development of w african music. As interpreters and authors, I mean.

good point. it seems that non-africans have already played a role in the development of w african music. i think it's an interesting topic to be explored.

But I really hope that they go on, and evolve, cause I really need that the djembe scene blossoms here in order to get easier access to classes and teachers, and people to play with.

agreed. it's important for people to do what they love and share their joy with others.

cheers,
-brian

[James]

Here's a video from our last live gig....

[djembefeeling]

Hey James,

congratulations! I hardly ever like non-traditional drumming and the addition of other instruments like a sax --- but your group is awesome. If we are looking for a way to adapt our music to a modern urban style, that's definitely a way to do it. seems you can easily integrate the typical mix of en vogue dance styles, so everybody can have fun. this is so berlin. fantastic!

best , jürgen

[michi]

I like this a lot too. It works, and the energy is contagious!

Michi.