Ever since I discovered that the power of James Brown, Stevie Wonder, Bob Marley, Prince, and the whole ‘70’s funk, Boogie Nights, and Car Wash thing meant I simply HAD to dance, I realised the importance of rhythm in my life. Then I stumbled across the fabulous sounds of Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Senegal, and Gambia, and, before long, the music of West Africa took me over. From then till now I have played it, studied it, performed it, wrestled with it, and been inspired by it to pursue my own particular creative journey, while travelling nearly every year to Senegal and Gambia to drink in the culture, learn, and spend time with friends.Following this passion has given me a passport to more musical experiences than I can mention. I’ve fixed drums (including some of Peter Gabriels’), recorded as a session musician, and played gigs from solo poetry slams to massive drum orchestras in all sorts of venues from the tiniest, draughtiest village halls to large national institutions such as the Royal Festival Hall, National Theatre, Purcell Room, and Womad festival. I’ve had the pleasure of working with organisations and artists such as Badejo Arts, Jelimasa, Sabari, Jamo Jamo Arts, and most recently, Senegalese Kora maestro Doudou Cissoko and his nephew, Jally Keba Susso, as well as “ Senegal’s best kept secretâ€; Daby Balde, the King of Foulodou.In 2001,I set up my own creative project, Xi.am (pronounced ZIAM), with jazz bassist Davide Mantovani and Paolo Polcari. Xi.am takes the earthy sounds of African instruments and blends them with elements of jazz, poetry and electronics. A sample plays here on this page. Under this name I also co-create music for film, dance, and theatre, and we have just put the finishing touches to the soundtrack for “GLOWâ€, a short animated film by Jo Lawrence shortly to appear on Channel 4. A longer version will tour the international animation festivals later on this year.For the last five years or so, I have taken educational workshops and performances into schools around the UK in collaboration with West African musicians and dancers, and participated in international corporate drumming events as a facilitator and artist. Writing teaching notes for students led me to put together “ Finding the voice of your drumâ€, a book on fundamental Djembe techniques designed to help players produce the most sound for the least effort (published in the UK by Soar Valley Music).My favourite instruments are Djembe, Djun-djun (bass drums), Bougeurabou (the original congas), Goumbe (a pitch-variable bass drum), Udu (pot drum), and Calabash. The journey goes on: I am exploring the beautiful Balafon – the West African xylophone, and have added a Cajon, the versatile flamenco box drum native to Peru. I am a part-time poet and occasional artist, and I hope to take the Xi.am project into the studio in the not-too-distant future.
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