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Letters from Vashon: Afro-Brazilian Drum Circle

October 15, 2008 at 9:23 pm Leave a comment

Jeff Johns teaches world percussion on Vashon.  He is a fine teacher . . . amazing in fact, for his ability to develop five percussion parts among his new students and somehow keep them all on track.  A student on conga might stray from a Samba beat and Jeff will pull him back into the rhythm.  Two sudents, one on shaker and one on tamborim, might head in opposite rhythmic directions and Jeff will call one and then the other back to the groove.  It is a gem of non-verbal communication.

On special nights, a group of dancers will gather before the class and add movement to the rhythms.

The students for the class gather from all over Vashon and I am looking forward to meeting them and getting to know them better . . . perhaps an encounter at Thriftway or Cafe Luna will lead to conversation beyond divisions of four beats.  For now, we all gather at 6:30 on Monday and quietly follow Jeff’s instruction, laughing as we overload on polyrhythm.  As the class ends, stunned by the amount of information we have absorbed, we quietly return to our separate lives.

The music community on Vashon drew me here after Hurricane Katrina filled my house with Lake Ponchartrain.  Though I knew Vashon was a mecca for musicians and artists, I never imagined that the offerings would be so rich and deep. 

Music has always been an opportunity to communicate non-verbally with people.  Whenever I travel I always carry an instrument with me . . . mandolin and fiddle to Sao Paolo, Scotland, Iceland and back and forth across the U.S.  Melody and rhythm transcend cultural differences.  The connection between a musician and a listener is one of trust and mutual enlightenment. 

There is a marvelous (and true) story of the opposing factions in the trenches during World War I stopping their aggression on Christmas Eve to sign a few carols together.  The military units on both sides were subsequently disbanded because their fighting spirit had been compromised.

So . . . to my new friends in the Afro-Brazilian drum circle . . . in the band Resonance . . . and those to be discovered, it is a pleasure to meet you.

Chip

Entry filed under: • Vashon Events, Classes, Kids, Letters From Vashon, Music. Tags: Letters From Vashon, Vashon activities, Vashon classes, Vashon music.