PROLOGVE

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~'-

un Ra, the legendary African Americanphilosopher, pianist, and leader of his SolarArkestra, spoke of the human condition and

life's struggles in terms of an omniverse and ourgenesis from another dimension. He once told me'Reality is not just what we see, there is anotherexistence, we are beings from beyond.' The musicof his large Arkestra ensemble always stretchedthe limits, surpassing the expected toward theultimate, with such pieces as Myth vs Science:Reality. When I heard the Arkestra live, I could feelthis transcendence, what Amiri Baraka speaks of asan African life sense. As my life has progressed andmy playing has taken me to many parts of the world- Africa, Asia, the Middle East/West Asia, Europe,and the Americas - Sun Ra's wisdom has becomeclearer.

Apart from the unconditional love of my parents,I have been alone and lost, failing at most things,seeing the horrors of human suffering, and, ondering if there is any meaning at all. In my PeaceCorps experience in the Philippines and subsequenttrip throughout the planet, I have seen firsthand theaenocide against the people of the so-called 'third-orld.' ':-1 T friends there do not have an airplaneet home to shelter, clothing, food, medical care,

"'" . al. For no reason, I do. Somehow, out of this::l es.:, and tru aa e comes

a deep all-encompassing reality expressed throu -music, dance, and art. Something that can touch :;:all. When I hear a West African drum ensemble, aJavanese gamelan, an Indian music ensemble, anMcCoy Tyner's great quartet with Sonny Fortune,Calvin Hill, and Alphonse Mouzon, I realize thatthere can be meaning, and that these masters areplaying more than music, they are playing life at ideepest.

In this path of life we find connections with people,places, events, times, impressions. On our journeywe also lose many of those connections throughseparation, failure, death, and change. Especially'western industrialized society we can feel emp _',separated from others, nature, the creator, ourancestors, even from ourselves. Many world cui.keep these connections alive through traditionand ritual. In West Africa one powerful way' edrum and dance drama, a shared remembran eand honoring of a people's history and des' :,.Through intense dancing, drumming, and .a community rekindles bonds with other hand spirits, spaces, activities, moments, cfeelings, the earth, and with themse1Ye5.~are embraced as a means of ii, ina deep~; i::' ::--=present and going forth on indiYidual a..c paths to the future.

Living in villages among the Eve people insoutheastern Ghana I have learned things we cannotfind in any book. They have given me drumming,dance, and spirit that have helped me go throughlife. We each live in time and space - surviving,working, searching for a partner, maybe havingchildren, laughing, suffering, dreaming, growing old,dying - and affect people and events as we go onour journeys. But we also live in another dimension,a time beyond clocks, a space without place, a beingof the heart and spirit, our ultimate reality. For methe musics of West Africa and other world culturesare a gateway to this life sense, a place that cannot bebought or sold, cheated, insulted, a place beyond ourfrailties.

The sounds of drums, bells, and rattles; songs,proverbs, and cries; and dance movements,gestures, and energy forces are all expressionsof life, of the heart, of unconditional love for allexistence, every moment, every molecule, everyheart. They have helped me on my life journey.The music in these pages is inspired by thatunconditional boundless spirit. I have given mylife to playing these sounds with the people of eachculture and bringing them to the drumset in theAfrican American tradition. Play these rhythms andvoices from the Eve people of West Africa in yourown personal way, finding your own sound as ameans to a deeper spirit. They will also bring you 0another place and time, beyond the veil.

OWO FORO ADOBEE FORMING THE I OSSIBLEffRA SCE DA ICE

AKP ES E

WAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAV~

kpese is a recreational dance drama of Evepeoples in the northern Volta region ofGhana and adjacent Togo. It is played when

people come together to meet and have fun, touchingand celebrating, somewhat like a religious or athleticrally. This drama is expressed in a free, explosivemusical style, highly improvised drumming, andrisk-taking to create excitement, like the open,unfettered transcendence of African American jazz.

Much of its music derives from song texts, which areseparated in performance by interludes of intensedrumming and movement, the dancers twirlingwhite cloths while the lead drum rolls and speaksin a strong voice. Sometimes a bugle or trumpetand whistle join the drama, as I experienced whileplaying traditional drums and drumset with Akpeseensembles in Ho, the capital city of the Volta regionand Anyako village at the Keta lagoon. The red hotexplosions of the bugler, trumpeter, and women &man playing and a police whistles brought me backto New Orleans, experiencing the intimate force ofa street band and dancing onlookers, the second line.We traded phrases between bugle and drumset asthe songs, dancing, and traditional drumming wereexploding around us, and I felt a connection amongWest African drumming, New Orleans bands, andjazz like never before.

The Akpese (pronounced ak-peh-SAY)ensembleis led by Duga, a large single-headed open drumplayed with the hands. Its rhythms can reflect Evespeech by means of vugbe drum language, speakinglow, middle, and high tones through various handand finger strokes. It calls or reacts to songs, cuesdance movements, and interacts with the otherinstruments in the dance drama. In some villages,such as Anyako, a second uuga is played, doubling orengaging in a dialogue with the lead uuga's rhythms.

There are eight supporting drums, bells, and rattle inthe Akpese dance drama. The timeline is expressedthrough three atoke iron boat-shaped bells held inan open palm and played with a thin metal rod.Atoke are pitched in high, medium, and low ranges.The high-pitched atoke states a seven-stroke patternthat can be heard as a duple form of the Gadzo 12/8ganugbagba timeline (see Gadzo section). Medium-and low-pitched atoke play interlocking three-strokephrases, each alternating sound creating tonalmovement.

At different times onthe video the medium or lowatoke rhythm wasplayed on a frikyiwametal castanet-typebell.

The axatse gourd rattlestates a repeating legand hand three-strokepattern reinforcing theatoke timeline.

can reflect speech tones. Its basic pattern of low andhigh sounds interacts with alternating pairs of muteand open strokes played on the asiuui 1 single-headedwooden hand drum. While dondo can improvise, itsconversation centers on the interplay with asiuui andforms the essence of Akpese drumming. A secondasiuui voice, which we will call asiuui 2, is employedin some villages, playing a six-stroke open tonepattern that complements and reinforces the highatoke timeline.

Pattigame is a small double-headed metal shell drumplayed with a combined stick and hand technique.It rests on the player's thigh, with the fingers of theholding hand pressing against or releasing one head,while the free hand strikes the other drumhead witha wooden stick. Finger pressure mutes the sound andcreates the low and high pitches of stick strokes onthe opposite head. The mutes are barely audible butfelt as part of the rhythm. This drum has an activevoice, stating a series of variations that enrich thetexture of the dance drama. A few variations areshown here. The pattigame rhythm was played on a.di drum in the video at Anyako.

1: erience Akpese dance drumming with theJzi di BJbJbJ roup from Tarso Anyako village

:' Le i eo and hear the interactions amona dondo,:::i~~ne, a=' 1.:.:; around the a o~e an

AI

ADEGBEJOJOAL;) D;) LAWO MI NY;)!

BOASTING IN THIS LIFE IS FALSE.

PEOPLE BLINDED, IT ISTIME TO WAKE VP!

A ttfp, mho ~x = LH finger mutes

*B m p y.Do j ~o :~(m y.Do ;; 1~M :~D ~iyWym=W=

adding an extra stroke to fill space, as Ihaveheard Eve drummers do.You can also play cymbal rhythms on theside of your low tom or as high-pitchedsnare rim shots near the edge of thedrumhead. Low tom side strokes suggestthe 'ka' stick sound on the wooden shell ofan Eve drum, while rim shots imply the taksound of North African and Middle Easternhand drumJIling.

Freeman Kwadzo Donkor showed me howeach voice in a West African ensemble canspeak through the drumset. Change yourleft hand to suggest asivui 1 hand drumopen strokes on toms and mutes as snarecross sticks.

Now play the asivui 2 open tones on tomsand mutes as snare cross sticks.

(0 NV ERSA T ION S AMON GS V P PO RTIN GIN S

The high- and medium-pitched atokerhythms are an important part of theAkpese timeline. Play these rhythmson ride cymbal and high hat over a bassdrum pulse with high and low dondo toneson high and low toms. For a lighter feel,

high hat foot strokes as open splashes.Throughout this section you can freely varythe dondo pattern among tarns and snare,

.Y-j-:~

The active pattigame voice adds excitementto the Akpese ensemble. First try its lowand high tones on low and high toms, andthen on snare. In this section you can bringthe pattigame phrase around snare andtoms for tonal variety.

Adapting the three-stroke medium atokerhythm on cymbal bell leaves space in thegroove. Join this with the dondo phrase ontoms and a bass drum-high hat heartbeatimplying axatse.

Next play the pattigame pattern betweentoms, on snare, and around the drumset.

The final metaphor is Me va ka ba vua gb'J;me kp'J dzidz'J vua I]u (pronounced mehz vah3kahz bahz vooah1 gbawz mehz kpawz jee3jawz vooahz ngoo3), whose literal and innermeaning is "Come early to the performance;show happiness for the drumming." Itstones are played on vuga as 'ga gi-de ga-daga . de tsa ... ga gi-de tsa. tsa. de tsa ... 'and extends over two bell cycles. Its startingpoint falls with the sixth stroke of the highatoke timeline, or the fourth beat of an eightbeat, two-measure four-four time feel.

t' ki~====~y g====a:UVGAge;~it~:~=====~ ~ ~ ~ga/da

dzi dz'J vua I]u.

You can adapt this saying to drumsetwith vuga's sound pattern outlined in aconversation among bass, snare, and tomsin a funk style. Join this with high hat stickstrokes suggesting axatse.

Now try the high atoke pattern on cymbalbell with medium atoke as high hat footstrokes. Play the open high hat sound inmeasure two with your left hand stick.You can also move your left hand amongsnare and toms.

GADZO

adzo (pronounced gahd-zoh) is arecreational dance music of the Evepeople of Ghana and Togo. It is derived

irom ancient warrior musics and sometimes.:...dudes rituals and the pouring of libations.Gadzo is presently played for social occasions2.~the market square, parks, or other meeting~.;aces,and is also performed at funerals, usually=- ear the home of the deceased.

:he Gadzo ensemble is led by the deep-toned;:alTedwooden Gadzovuga master drum.Ga zovuga is about three feet tall, cylindrical,;, d uses wooden pegs to maintain tension on its=- head, which is played with the hands._ 1 contemporary form, there are five basic3' '-porting drum, bell, and rattle voices. The=- eline is sounded with two sticks on a metal- '-tainer called ganugbagba. The strong hand.:::a~ a seven-stroke pattern while the weak:- ' outlines main beats which relate to dancers'

ovements. The seven stroke pattern is-:::';' _-played with the right hand, as in Gadzo"'~-=:>ensembles 4 and 7, although I played it- -.:--my left hand on DVD ensembles 2 and-. :he strong sound of this metal container::I ifies the Gadzo ensemble. Sometimes2..;:Jar] ogui double bell is played instead of8... abagba.

_- - - is a gourd rattle with a netting of beads~ 5J. e about its exterior. It is held in one hand

=::- -truck against the opposite palm or thigh,........",. a a swishing sound that also reinforces the~ :imeline. It traditionally states a number of-2.:'-.a:ionsthat add a different rhythmic feel to- ;:> ic drumming patterns.

. a slender high-pitched wooden drum"\ith thin sticks whose sharp strokes

_ ize offbeat pairs. Like axatse, its~2.:'.-atio add rhythmic 'spice' to the ensemble._:, e are Teatdrummers in the villages who~:::"";a...izein playing kagaI] all their lives, creating~n ~e. uances in timing and unique variations

c. e, timbre, and rhythm that you can hear_ - e TIdeo. Variations A and C-G are most- =c: only played at a moderate to slow pace,- -~":""e~ e other patterns are usually played at

os.

open tones. Mutes are accomplished by pressingthe stick against the drumhead on stroke contactwhile open resonant tones result from bouncing thestick off the drumhead. Its basic phrase consists ofthree open and three mute strokes. Kidi's patterncan change in conversation with Gadzouuga, onedialogue response including open tones that paralleldondo and the dondo variation, as on the video.

The wooden hourglass-shaped, double-headed,string tension drum known as dondo completes theGadzo ensemble. It is played with a curved woodenstick. Dondo traditionally improvises phrases whosetonal language can be understood, enriching theensemble texture. One basic pattern is a high-lowpair of strokes that match alternate kagaI] statements.A variation adds a third high-low motive within onebell cycle.

Two other metal instruments are played for chantedrituals and sometimes join the ensemble: auaga, asmall, open mouthed bell with a clapper, and aq.oqo,a double-ended cluster of slender chambers withclappers that functions as a rattle. Both are held inthe hand and shaken, functioning in the ensemble tosupport the timeline.

Observe the full Gadzo drum and dance drama withthe Anyako Lashibi community on the video andhear the interplay of supporting instruments withthe Gadzovuga master drum.

GADZOUVGAH Traditional PaUelIlS and IlllplOvisations :~

GANVGBAGBA- RLcB' J. ~ ] ;.@!. ;b ~ J ~LMETAL (ONTAI N ER BELL ----f----~----~----r--~

AXATSE -GOVRD RATTLE

kAGAIJ- SMALL DRVM 0*1 i ~ i ~ i ~ i ~

DONDO - HOVRGLASSSTRING TE NSION DRVM

DO N DO VAR (ATl 0 N ~ !-1:::~:=;--::;~=~.=--==--==- -=i=~-=8 ~$J ~~

kAYIBOE (PRONOVNCED KAH YEE BWAY)

E ERE CETOASOCIALOVTCAST

>~GADZO"DRVMSET STYLES

The ganugbagba speaks both a heartbeatand a time cycle. Play the heartbeat betweenbass drum and high hat and the time cycleon cymbal bell. Throughout this chapteryou can also play cymbal rhythms on theside of your low tom or as high-pitchedsnare rim strokes (snares released) withthe tip of your stick, suggesting Africansounds like ka, a stick stroke on the side of awooden drum.

Extend the heartbeat to snare cross sticks orcrash cymbal bell. These combinations bringout the metal sounds and driving two-handfeel of ganugbagba.

You can also play kagaI] as snare crosssticks or extend it to toms as well.

Omitting one cross stick leaves morespace in the groove and suggests thehigh-low sounds of dondo as on thevideo for this example and Gadzo DVDensemble. Improvise your own kagaI]rhythms on snare and toms, beginningwith the traditional variations given earlierand those on the Gadzo drumset kagaI]variations 1 and 2 videos that includepatterns B,D, H, I, J, and K (DVDIO) and N,L, and M (DVDll).

TALKING DRVMS

UVGBE DRVM LANGVAGE

GADZOUVGA LEAD DRVM UVGBE STROkES

AND THEIR SOVNDSve music is characterized by drumsyllables, vugbe, which reflect thehigh, middle, and low tones of the

indigenous Eve language, marked in thepronunciation syllables after each sayingas 1 for low, 2 for midrange, and 3 for high.In Gadzo we will focus on the tones of thegadzovuga lead drum and the hourglass-shaped, string tension dondo drum, both ofwhich play low, middle, and high pitches.Their voices often reflect the introduction oftexts by singers in the dance drama. Vugbeis fully communicated by the interactionof the entire ensemble of drums, bell, andrattles. In each example in this section, thedrum voices are shown together with theganugbagba bell timeline above the staff.

da - strong hand bass

ga - weak hand bass

delte - strong hand open(two consecutive des,the second called te)

gel gi - weak hand open

tsa - strong hand muted slap

tsi - strong hand mute

ki - weak hand mute

k.i

tsi ~tsage/gi --------------de _

rza/da

The final Eve text is Gade ga Jo (pronouncedgahl dehz gahl pfohl)' whose literalstatement is" A bell has rungl it is six0'clock again." This refers to a curfewimposed in 1953by British colonials as aresult of civil unrest by traditional AI]b-Evepeople protesting continued control of thearea prior to Ghana's independence in 1957.It expresses the feeling "We are disgusted atthis intrusion into our lives." The villagerstold me this and other similar sayingsare still played, since they see the currentmilitary, economic, and cultural control oftheir lives by industrialized nations andcorporations as a contemporary form ofcolonial control. The price for this inhumantreatment, which began in the 1400s in WestAfrica, is starvation, disease, as well as lackof shelter, clothing, and meaningful work,all forces of dehumanization and genocidethat they experience daily.

In this holocaust the people come togetherin a communal society to survive andinstead of hate, live a spiritual life of lovefor each other, nature, ancestors, and spiritsthat even extends to those of us who comefrom the neocolonial areas of the globe.This transcendent spirituality, which isshared by many peoples in Africa, theMiddle East, Asia, Oceania, and indigenousEurope and the Americas, is expressed indrumming, dance, and song.

Gade ga Jo is an example of how historicevents are enshrined in the dancedrumming tradition. Its tones are playedon gadzovuga as 'ga de ga . ga .. ' andechoed by dondo. The space betweentatements, taken by three high pitched 'tsa'ounds, is open for improvisation by eitherinstrument, and can function as a call withthe vugbe phrase as a response. The entirehrase can also be pulled into a duple feel.

KRAMO BONE AMMA YEANNHV KRAMO PAWE (AN NOT TELl. THE GOOD FROM THE BAD

BE(AVSE OF PRETEN(E

I .~----~ ~----~I

DaNDO ~_=8~W_--_'-=--=--=m__ i ~=-. _*__ i ~

J1linij)i nRESPONSE CALL

1 i I I

~-O 'JOIfI

~

-----j,*

~=8=w===-===_m_. _; _1_' f]g: J~. J. *JE.OJ.OJI

Begin with low- and medium-pitched uugbetones' ga de ga . ga .. ' played between bassdrum and high tom, and high-pitched 'tsa'strokes as snare cross sticks. You can alsodivide the low-high tones between low andhigh toms, as on Gadzo DVD ensemble 7and DVD 17 for uugbe exzmple 4.

Now stretch the left hand and bass drumrhythms into a duple feel over the triple feelof the cymbal timeline with high hat on twoand four, similar to the way West Africandrummers pull the rhythms over the bellcycle. When these phrases feel strong createyour own patterns and improvised spacesthat can spark a dialogue with a soloist.

InAgo the drama of summoning thedivinity Adzogbo is part of an intenseinteraction of dancers, drummers, andsingers. Changes in devotional activitiesand the music are cued by the masterdrummer through the drum language ofatsimeuu. There are many episodes withmultiple dialogues in sequence, eachwith its own dance movements and drumrhythms. The episodes may be played oneor more times.

In one, the heightened action begins withatsimevu playing 'gi de ... dza. dza. dza... ki . (ka) . ki . (ka) . ki . (ka);' in Eve, Miva, du gba dzi (pronounced meez vahzdoolgbahljeez)' meaning 'Everyone come to thedruming area.' Kidi and sogo continue theirbasic pattern.

This rhythm is repeated until the rightemotional moment when atsimevu signals achange in its last statement with a series of'gi de' strokes -Mi va (spoken as meezvahz)'Everyone come' - and moves to 'ga de .ki . de . de . ga . gi de ki . .. de. de . ga,'representing Eduwo kel] mi va ne mia kp'Jwo,mi va ne (vocalized as ehzdoozwoh3 kegn3mee3 vahznehzmeeah3 kpwohz' mee3 vah2nehz) or 'Everyone (the entire village)come to see them (the warriors, dancers,and musicans).' Kidi and sogo respond tothe atsimevu phrase with four open tonesreinforcing the word 'kp'Jwo' played as 'ki'on the lead drum. The four open strokes arefollowed by eight mutes.

A final kp'Jwo, dugbadzi (sounded askpwoh2, dool gbahl jeez)leads to anotherdialogue expressing a vigorous dancemovement. Atsimevu speaks a series of 'dzi. dza . ' sounds representing the Eve Gbedzi(pronounced gbehzjee3), 'Our lives are theirmission.' This is answered by a series ofkidi and sogo open (coinciding with theatsimevu sound 'dzi') and mute (coincidingwith atsimevu's 'dza') tone pairs thatintensify the ensemble by creating a dupletwelve- or six-beat feel within the timeline.This episode can be repeated as needed toinvoke spirits.

NYAME, BIRIBI WO ~ORO NAMA EMBEKAME N~AGOD, THERE l~ SOMETHING IN THE HEAVENS, LET

IT REACH ME

OPEN REPEAT

CAI)KOCVI~~=tl' a. ~.a. ~.a. J. :~

ATSIMEUV;E=tl, J. i f~ ~i 2 i chifJ i ~ga ~

KIDI/SOCO~=tl' ~

=d J. J. J J. J. J. J. J. IGAl) -=-=tr'_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-~_-_ -_ -_-_-_ -~_ -_ -_ -_ -_-_ -_ -_ -_~~.

ATSI J=j. i Ji j i j ~ ffl. B i i B~~K/S

~ J. J. J J. J. J J. J.GAl) _=tr_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-~_-_-_-_-_-_-_-~_-_

ATSI ~. i Ji j i j ~ jf~J i Ji 3 i r:K/S

GAl] ~ ~. J . ~ ~. J . ~ ~. J. I

ATS! ~. Y ;p i ] i $==, ==-:::::=i;p i fi ] i ffi"IS

GAl] ~ ~ J . ~ ~. J . ~ ~. J. I

ATSI~' yjiji~~' ~i~i~iji~i~kp:Jwo, du gba dzi. Gbe dzi, gbe dzi, gbe dzi,

"IS

GAl) ~ ~. J . ~ ~. J. J ~. J. I

ATS! ~ i ~ i ~ i j i ~ i j i ~ i ~ i ~ i j: fi iBgbe dzi, gbe dzi, gbe dzi, gbe dzi, gbe dzi! Mi

"IS

You can also adapt this Ago episode in amore literal manner, reflecting the tones ofatsimeuu among snare and toms, kidi andsogo voices on bass drum, the gaI]koguitimeline on cymbal, and the axatse pulseas high hat foot strokes. For the finalGbedzi sequence, keep the alternating hightom and bass drum couplets to mirrorthe Adzohu Ago ensemble's intensity.Changing high hat foot strokes from dottedquarters to quarter notes, as in the video,brings a twelve-beat layer over the basiceight-beat Ago feel, similar to the textureofaxatse variations. This is another intensesequence that works best in a solo or high-energy ensemble music.

AKOBEN

WAR HORN - A (ALL TO ARMS

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