Below is a collection "old news" that was on my old website, since 2009. Some of it is useful to me as a reference for what I've done. Maybe it will be interesting to others too. Note that many of the links may not be relevant anymore.
March 24, 2021
Album News
My album is not even released yet but is on a Top 5 list from Jazziz magazine. Click here to vote and make it #1 (which just means a bit more publicity).
March 6, 2021
It. Is. Done.
The new album is ready! I can't ask for more. Here is a link to the Bandcamp pre-order site:
It sounds and looks great. After almost a year of working on it in various capacities I will release it on April 2. Bandcamp will be the main avenue. Will put a tune on Spotify every few weeks, but this is purely an experiment in feeding the algorthm of the machines and seeing what happens on that front.
I also have a couple of sweet, sweet videos made to accompany two tracks that I'll unleash at some point.
Major thanks to the Canada Council for the Arts, BC Arts Council and Creative BC for funding the album.
And also working on a new website which I hope to have up before the album drops. I'll miss this one, which Jud Haynes did a mgnificiant job in creating, but wth a new album comes a new look. Might not have all the travel pictures and writings, keep it a bit simple....
Despite the ravages of the pandemic on music performance, I was lucky to participate in a production at the Chan Centre featuring a cast of talented South Asian artists in a concert called Parashakti: The Flame Within. It explores various manifestions of of the mother goddess via music and dance of North/South India. It will be released as a recorded livestream on March 19. See details on the left. Also did a similar (but shorter) project with another local bharatanatyam dancer named Ashvini Sundaram which willl be coming online in the near future as well.
Have begun rehearsals with the Fragrances & Spices project, which festures myself and 7 other talented musicians from Persian, Chinese, Jazz, and South Indian backgrounds. We are creating and re-arranging works for this group and will be giving our first concert (for online release) in late May.
Finally, I can report that I have joined Instagram! Look for @theecurtisandrews
January 19, 2021
Change is in the Air
What a time. No need to update this website as of the lst few months. My life has been somewhat rooutine: awake, eat, play with with daughter, audio editing, pick up daughter from school, more play, make supper, more play, put daughter to bed, more audio editing, sleep. In a nutshell anyhow. There has been more to life oviously, but nothing worth reporting to the world. I did get a nice couple of books from my wife for Xmas though, by author Octavia E. Butler, The Parables of the Sower/Talents. Amazing writer, dark tales. Need to find more. One of the themes of these books is the nature of change, and the inevitablity of it.
You can't fight it, only shape it.
Which brings me to the current state of affairs. COVID has sucked the life out of any kind of performing arts for the most part. That said, I am involved in a couple of upcoming projects that will be recorded for a "livestream", both of which centre around bharatanatyam. Both will be recorded in late February and involve some super artists.
Am also getting the ball rolling on a major collaborative project that features Lan Tung, Jonathan Bernard, Dai Lin Hseih, Amir Eslami, Vidyasagar Vankayala, Kaushik Sivaramakrishnan, and Jared Burrows. A great cross-section of South Indian, Chinese, Persian and a touch of jazz. Big thanks to the Canada Council and BC Arts Council for supporting this. We plan to give some concerts in November, if the COVID situation changes.
I'd be remiss not to mention that I was in Ghana for 2 intense weeks in mid-November. It was another world. Life is basically back to normal for the most part, in the rural areas especially. Hugging, shaking hands, dancing, music, sharing food, etc. No fear of each other. It was a nice break from what we have here in Canada. You may wonder how is this possible? Yes, COVID is there, but for reasons I cannot explain, it has not ravaged the population or crippled the healthcare infrastructure. Was hard to do the 2-week quarantine upon arrival back in Vancouver, especially not being to hug my family, but we got through it. Oh yeah, I lost my new phone while there too, bit of a drag. Still have to pay Fido every month for it.
:-/
But I did get some great information for my postdoc project related to the transmission of oral culture in Dzogadze. Just need to get some extra funding to actually enact some of the ideas we (the community and I) have generated.
This may be one of the last updates that you will read on this particular incarnation of my website. Am planning on creating a new site to coincide with my new album release and finally get away from having to use HTML to update this thing!
Speaking of which, album will be released in early March. Parts of it being mixed now. Sounds awesome. Some tasty videos being created as well...stay tuned.
August 17, 2020
A Grand Excercise in Improvisation (ie: life)
Well then. Quite a difference a few months make. I've not been updating this little part of my website recently, since the COVID-19 sucked up all the air in the world. Music as we know it is almost non-existent. Starnge times. Unprecedented and all that. Looking back at what I wrote in March , before the pandemic really took over, things havenot changed all that much. I'm still doing the same things, only that teh future is even more uncertain then in "normal" times.
I won't waste too much time talking about COVID and what I've been doing, what it means for me as a musician and academic and all that. All I can say is that I've been enjoying myself, am lucky to be in Canada, and will continue with the projects I've been focusing upon. Foremost of which would be my new album, I've done more recording, and LOTS of editing. It's sounding good. Am looking for some visual artsits to do some video accompaniments to some of the tunes. Hoping for an October release perhaps.
No travels as far as I can see so no trip to Ghana this November, but have been enjoying the amzaing beauty that BC holds. And oddly, have a series of gigs in the coming days. This will be odd.
Whoever you are reading this, especially if you are a musician...don't worry too much. If you are an artist you've been bred to tackle problems and live day-to-day, gig-to-gig. While there are fewer gigs, we all have to be a bit more creative and hope the greater society sees the value that we bring and support us in whichver way is possible.
No condition is permanent.
March 11, 2020
Stability
I had a good feeling about this year. And despite the obession and (in my opinion) excessive fear about the current coronavirus, things are looking up (for me anyhow). About to go into the studio in a couple of weeks and the band is getting ready. But a couple of days ago I received the news that my SSHRC postdoctoral application was successful! So for the next two years I'll have a steady paycheck, will be travelling to Ghana a few more times for the research, and can stay in Vancouver (despite the postdoc being connected to the University of Alberta). The project is focused around identifying and addressing issues surrounding the transmission of oral culture, specifically music and dance, in the community of Dzogadze. A mjor component will be community-based collaboration in figuring such things out.
Besides trying to finish some new compositions, I'm trying to get myself back in shape and trying to practice mridangam daily, something I've been delinquent about for too long. I should be much better than I am and am at this point in the game, and am taking baby steps to elevate myself beyond the plateau I've been on for far too long. It's all about discipline and regularity...a little bit each day is better than a lot once a week.
January 12, 2020
The Vision is Clear For This Year
As a number, 2020 vibrates well, symmetrical and divisible. Numerologists probably like it. I have a good feeling for the year personally as it will bring a lot of developments and changes in my own life which I look forward to (post-PhD existence, a new album and other creative pursuits). As I write this I'm in the Vancouver airport en route to the Banff Centre to finalise (and begin) some musical ideas for the album. This will be the first time I've had such a dedicated and uninterrupted time devoted to such things, am feeling good about what will come out of it. Will be sure to take in the awesome Banff hotsprings as well, they are outside and have grand snowy mountain vistas.
Just returned from 4 weeks away though, back to NL and then in Ottawa. One of the highlights in NL was playing a gig with my group there and re-connecting with the wondeful Dani Oore who I last met and played with back in about 2005(!). Great connection ensued and will do some more playing with him this year. Stay tuned.....
In the more immediate future, the next gig I have with dancers Sujit Vaidya and Arun Mathai. We've been working on a contemporay expression of bharatanatyam for a couple of years now called Off-Centre. Among other things, it will be remarkable contrast between the chiseled and smooth torsos of those guys with my own hirsute and less-lean figure...:-P
December 3, 2019
Ok, Now It Is REALLY Done
Funny robes. Nice hat. Rehearsed speeches. Some cake and champagne. Illegally expensive photo packages. A few butterflies in the stomach as I took the stage. A feeling of accomplishment.
Yes folks, I finally graduated!
6 years in the making, on Nov.29 I was the first in line to take the stage and be "hooded" by Santa (Ono, President of UBC).
If anyone is interested in my 15 seconds on the stage at UBC, you can view the clip HERE.
All of this was preceded by some aforemtioned travels to Ghana. That was an intense and interesting time. One of my best friends Vodzi Torgboh wa actually in Canada while I was staying in his house, kinda bizzare to not have him around. But I managed fine enough and did most of the things I set out to do - record some Torgbui Apetorku songs for a new release, complete video interviews for an upcoming mini-doc on vodu, and had the idea to record some local drummer friends to perhaps include in the new album I'm making (more later). I was ready to go to Benin but had a bout of malaria (first time in 17 years!) in the last few days of my stay and had to just rest on the bed and watch a LOT of movies.
While I am waiting on the results of a post-doctoral application (late Feb), I'm focusing on the creation of my new album. I had an AmplifyBC grant to start this and am applying for some Canada Council money to augment to project. Looking to start tracking in February and will feature some amazing collaborators/guests including Trichy Sankaran, Kaushik Sivaramakrishnan, Vodzi Torgboh, and the aforementioned drummers of Dzogadze, in addition to the regular members of the group based in Vancouver. Leading up to this I'll spend about 16 days at the Banff Centre to solidify the repertoire and focus on maybe creating some new pieces.
But most immediately will be a local gig here in Vancouver with the ensemble featuring Vodzi as a special guest. Then off to the Rock where I'll play with the crew down there and include Florian Hoefner on keys which should be a treat.
October 10, 2019
Way Down South, About to Go North West, Feeling Up Overall
It is done.
I passed my PhD oral defence with what I could call flying colours. I don't think it could have gone any better. Great feedback from all involved and a stunning assessment of my dissertation from my External Examiner, Dr. Kofi Agawu, who wields a mighty pen in the world of African music scholarship. I'm in the process of submitting my finished and fully approved dissertation to the university, which will essentially serve as the final step in this six-year journey.
I guess the question now is "Now what?"
Post-doc!! After I submitted my thesis for external review I had a number of weeks in which I had nothing much to do academically and felt some sense of relief, but also a sense of emptiness, or a sort of anti-climax. Very odd. Out of panic and to avoid having to wait another year before the deadline rolled around, I submitted a post-doc application. It will allow me to remain in Vancouver as well. Will find out results in Feb/Mar 2020.
Immediately after my defence I flew to Cape Town, South Africa, a place I have not visited since 2005. An amazingly complex, beautiful, and f'ed up city. Well, the country is like that overall I suppose, given the socio-political history and extreme imbalance of resources and opportunity that will take several generations to even start balancing. Anyhow, I'm here with Anu and Leela, visiting some friends that I have not seen in 14 years and making some new ones too, including Mapumba, a superb vocalist and guitarist from DRC via Zambia but based here for the past 20 years. I'll be playing an impromptu gig with him and a singer as well.
Also had a chance to reconnect with the amazing Dizu Plaatjies, a performer, scholar, and supporter of all things traditionally African, especially the various musical bows played in this region. We spent an hour or so with him and he played the uhadi, umrubhe and a special overtone flute for us and mesmerized Leela. Have got to find a way to get him to Vancouver! Such a warm human being and doing great work to support these instruments and the people who play them (traditionally for women only actually).
After this I’ll fly to Ghana for 3 intense weeks. I plan to get footage for a mini-documentary on vodu as explained through interviews with some priests, and also do some recording of more Tɔgbui Aƒetɔkusongs. Planning on visiting some other shrines, including the town where I think Tɔgbui Aƒetɔku may have originated in Benin (near Togo border). I may take the chance to visit Agbomey again, after a 4 years absence and see what my friend/teacher Joel Gboja Zodji and the family are doing. I’ll also catch the Atsyiame Clan Festival and the Tɔgbui Aƒetɔku mid-year Talulu festival. Plus visiting numerous friends all around the Volta Region. Will be intense!
And to finish, the main goal right now is finding some funds to record a new album. I’ll be going to the Banff Centre in January for a 2-3 week solo residency to work on collating a bunch of ideas into some new compositions. Hope to record in the late Winter and have this record out by summer or so. It’s been long enough…but hey, what’s the rush anyhow? Stay tuned for a fundraiser campaign!
August 22, 2019
The End is Very Nigh
PhD Defence:
Friday, September 20, 2019
9:00 AM
Room 203
Graduate Student Centre (6371 Crescent Road).
University of British Columbia (vancouver campus)
All are welcome.
August 2, 2019
Now I wait...
Been silent here. I just sent my dissertation to my external examiner. Now I wait....and try not to look at computer unless I need to.
May 13, 2019
21 Years Later....
I first went to Ghana in 1998 to spend 2 months in the village of Dagbamete. I still go there. During that trip I was taken to a related village called Dzogadze where I was blown away by the vivacity of their musical traditions, especially the ancestral war dance known as Atsiagbekor. Little did I know that 21 years later I would be hosting a member of that community in my house.
I'm happy to say that Vodzi "Oliver" Torgboh arrived just over 10 days ago and is with me and my family until June 13. In all of my time and travels in West Africa, Vodzi is one of the most talented fellows I have met with a deep understanding and knowledge of Ewe traditional music, dance, and culture. I've learned a lot from him over the years and am proud to show him off to the people of Vancouver.
Beyond a number of workshops that he will be leading, the main event will be a concert on May 31 with Adanu Habobo. Tickets are on sale now. Get yours before they are gone!
April 17, 2019
Homage to the Genius of Carnatic Music
Around this time of year, lovers of Carnatic music around the world pay tribute to one of the most important figures in South Indian culture...the saint composer/poet Sri Thyagaraja. His compositions, which number about 700 are the bread and butter of most every Carnatic musician. To get a sense of Thyagaraja's depth, visit these two blogs lyrical-thyagaraja.blogspot.com and thyagaraja-vaibhavam.blogspot.com. Spend a few hours and of course, listen to the songs themselves. Your life will be richer for it.
In my neck of the woods some friends and I will be paying homage in our own way with a rendition of the Pancharatna kritis in the morning plus individual rendtions of various kritis by various people, young and old, throughout the day. It will be a full day affair, there will be lunch AND dinner provided and lots of music.
March 13, 2019
One Quarter Already
As always, time keeps moving....or we keep growing? Something keeps changing anyhow. I'm starting to feel something big on the horizon, maybe it is the impending completion of this PhD (looking at mid-June to submit 1st draft, November graduation!!!), maybe it is something else. Some fantatsic news that I can only allude to regarding an old friend who will finally be able to visit me in Canada. It will be the beginning of something that niether of us know what shape it will take but the potential is huge. Very excited to see what we can come up with and who we can connect with.
Had some negative news about a grant to get $$$ to record a new album. It seems MusicBC/AmplifyBC is giving more weight to Instagram/FB/SoundCloud numbers than to musical merit. Musical examples were an option but not necessary for a recent grant to receive money to make an album. WTF?!?! But I have other irons in the fire, and if all else fails...crowdfunding!!! I have yet to use that card for my own musical projects so this might the year for it.
Stay tuned.
January 24, 2019
The Newness of New
Not so new as of the time or writing, but that's all relative I guess.
Happy new year to those visiting for the first time in 2019. I ended 2018 and began 2019 in a wonderful way, from Dec.11 until Jan.12 I was in India with my family. Seeing India through the eyes of my 3yr-old daughter was a wonderful blessing, SHE is a wonderful blessing. We were mostly visiting my wife's family in Bengaluru, Chennai, and Mumbai, but also got a chance to spend a wonderful few days on the banks of the Kaveri River near Srirangapatna (Mysore area) and also a few days at an awesomely quiet intentional organic farm community about 2 hours outside of Bengaluru. Also played a cool little house concert with some great musicians in Bengaluru and had some mridangams repaired. Very fulfilling overall. After India we stopped in Hong Kong to visit some friends for a few days. Luckily they lived about 40 mins outside the city and their backyard was essentially a jungle of sorts!! (Sai Kung if you are wondering).
Am now settled back into North American life again and trying to dig into the dissertation. Looking at a Fall graduation now (moveable deadlines...a blessing and a curse). Just gotta keep on keepin' on with the writing.
Am also trying to secure some funds to actually record a new album this year as well, in tandem with finishing the dissertation. It can be done though, by the time I get around to recording most writing will be completed. The little tatse of recording I did with my group and my guru Trichy Sankaran back in September really whetted my appetite to get some new music out there.
Excited to make this come to fruition...and if all funding gods deny me...crowdfunding to the rescue!!!!
Dec.3, 2018
Writing, Writing, Writing
That's all I've been at really since the big show with Trichy Sankaran. No playing at all, and I see the effect it has on me. Prone to depression. I thought I would reduce the amount of music to focus on the PhD writing but I see this has a negative side-effect. Guess the new year will have more music in that case!!
Before then, I'll be away in India from Dec.9-Jan.14. Mostly in and around the south (Bangalore, Chennai, Mumbai, Mysore). Mostly going for social/family visits but will take in some concerts in Chennai with my guru. Also doing an informal house concert in Bangalore.
And mridangam repairs, must take advantage of the opportunity!
Sep.30, 2018
Basking in the Aftermath
I just spent 10 full days with my guru, almost every waking hour, in a combination of rehearsals, performances, lunch, dinner, and travel. It was an honour. The concert we did on Sep.22 was a success on all accounts, especially musically. The new piece he composed pushed the group to some new levels, and just being around the master has elevated all of our musical prowess. A recording session allowed us to document some of this magic and I hope to release it sometime next year (after the PhD!!!). If you are reading this, I hope you were one of the lucky ones to attend the show. If not, some video may be posted later...stay tuned! And here is a review.
And a couple of pics by Diane Smithers.
August 10, 2018
A New Video and Something Special On The Horizon
When you have a vision for something, sometimes things work out to enable you to realize that vision. Case in point, an upcoming concert on Sep.22 with my guru Sri Trichy Sankaran. I've been his student for almost 20 years, which is crazy to think about. But it was only last year I had the idea to try and invite him to Vancouver to play with one of my groups, performing his music, my music, Carnatic music repertoire, and to get him to compose a piece especially for this project. Well, the funding gods looked favourably upon me and the Canada Council, BC Arts Council, City of Vancouver, and SOCAN Foundation all agreed to support the project.
Make it if you can....
Oh my, and I'd be silly not to mention a new video that I've put on Youtube, featuring some of the musicians that will be in the above concert. The tune is "The Shapeshifter", one of my older pieces but not yet recorded (maybe next year?). Have a look and share if you like it.
July 9, 2018
1000 Years of Tradition In Our Midst
Attended a workshop with a troupe of kutiyattam artists from Kerala yesterday. Amazing to say the least. The expressiveness of the artists/actors/dancers in communicating thoughts, words, sentences, ideas, impressions using gesture and facial expressions was almost otherworldly. And the music! I've seen the mizhavu drum on the internet only. To hear them accompanying the actors (though on the practice drums) was a lesson in expressive drumming. Every action was accentuated by the various timbres the drummers would bring out from a tiny 6 inch skin of calf over wood. The full performance (with make-up and the full size mizhavu) is tonight and I will BE there!
Artforms like this have struck me since I first tasted them in Indian in 2003, namely kathakali, which is a child of sorts of kuttiyattam. We are belssed to have this kind of troupe here. They are called Nepathya and are coming all the way from Kerala direct. A HUGE thanks to the Indian Summer Festival and the World Sanskrit Conference for making this possible.
Some of my gigs over the next while, some travel too. Tarab will be returning which is always a treat, to be around Hazem Matar and play music with him. Will be traveling a bit in late July and August, inlcuding a visit back to Newfoundland from July 23-Aug.8 and then Ottawa from Aug.27-Sep.3. Other than that, chipping away at the diss, enjoying life with the family around BC (just had an awesome little jaunt up to Smithers and back for the MidSummer Music Festival), and trying to balance it all out.
June 3, 2018
Summer?
June already!
Some gigs over the next while, some travel too. But still trying to focus on the diss. Bit by bit. Will be heading back to NL in late July. Not much time for writing here!
April 22, 2018
Head Down
Well, nearly 3 months after my last post here and nearly none of my dissertation writing goals have been met. But I can't let that get me down or off-track. It's taking its own course, but I have to continually be on top of where it is (or is not) going. And always remind myself that it WILL get done.
In non-PhD news, I've been busy over the past few months. Did a very cool project with Sujit Vaidya that saw us create some contemporary bharatanatyam material and perform it for a cpative audience. More to work on there for sure, maybe somethig in June on that. Submitted a few grants for a project I'm very excited about in the Fall. I'll be inviting my guru Sri Trichy Sankaran to Vancouver for about 10 days to work with my ensemble and some local Carnatic musicians to create a concert to be held on Sep.22. Some workshops will also be included and maybe a trip to Victoria. It's all still falling into place. But it will for sure happen as the Canada Council gods were favorable to me this time around...the biggest individual project grant I've ever received.
Zimbamoto is trying to stay busy. Some local gigs coming up and a little bit of travel too, but no major tours. The whole experience of going to Mundial Montreal was an eye-opener for sure, especially in terms of how this industry (world music/folk/roots etc is very small and most all festival programmers, booking agents, managers, etc know each other and their artists. Very hard to break into the inner circle, that's for sure. Upcomgin we'll be at the Vancouver World Music Festival, which should be a great time...our first gig with horns!
Also spent 20 intense days in Ghana recently, touching base with my people there and making some new connnections. The shortest time I've ever spent there. Time moves at a different pace there (slowly), so when you come from NA with an agenda and not much time to execute it, it makes for some mildly stressful times. But the dekele (distilled palm wine) makes up for any disappointment.
And of course, the music.
January 29, 2018
Head On
I'm writing...bit by bit but writing nonetheless. I vowed I would write a single-spaced page of disstertation related material per day. Doesn't seem like much does it? Well, almost 30 days in I definitely do NOT have 30 pages. So much for that. New goal is a chapter (or some semblence of a chapter) before I go back to Ghana on March 12. Will be there from March 12-April 13 and it will be the last trip before the PhD is complete. Lots of items to complete whilst there so I'm preparing as best I can here, with the knowledge that things rarely go according to plan on the ground. Some gigs coming up locally, including a cool experimental dance piece with Sujit Vaidya. Some Zimbamoto/Zhambai stuff too. Speaking of which, I had hoped Zimbamoto would get some gigs to put together a tour for this summer but I've gotten absoluetly NO response from any of the people I met at Mundial Montreal. So much for that. Guess I don't know the right people or something. It's odd, because the band is freakin' great. But I guess the music industry has less to do with music at times (much of the time!). Well just keep on keepin' it real.
December 5, 2017
Time, Time, Time....
Impossible to get a handle on this construct of time. I try to carve it up and use it best I can but the distractions and attractions of the modern age, with the screens and all that is behind them brings me places I never intend to go or spend my time in. But here we are.
Still, I do manage to get some things done. The Zimbamoto album is pretty stellar. The CD release concert was grand, hoping we can tour a littlw in 2018. A recent jaunt to Mundial Montreal, Canada's answer to WOMEX (a major world music schmooze/showcase) was an eye-opener. Basically, if you you don't know the folks who hold the power, good luck getting in their festival/venue, etc. Same with everythin humans do I suppose, but to be privy to it all and actually hear that come directly from the gate keepers was a bit shocking in all honesty.
Trying to plug away at the dissertation, been SLOW going, but have a strategy to get the ball rolling. Daily action, no matter how short is essential. Momentum is key. I'll eventually have to unplug myself for a period from a lot of the things that take my time (except my family).
Speaking of extracting, I'll be out of Vancouver from Dec.14-Jan.8. Will be in NL from Dec.14-27 and will enjoy the time back home, play a couple of gigs too. Then Ottawa from Dec.27-Jan.8. Brrrrr.
Oh yeah, I've moved my site hosting to another service. Some glitches in the coding and file naming so some of my picture galleries might be a little iffy. One more thing I have to address....at the bottom of a loooong list right now so be patient if you like looking at pictures.
November 12, 2017
After All The Work....
September 19, 2017
Here We Go Again
Whoops....it happened again. Several months and nothing here. Not for being lazy mind you, just too busy with other stuff to think about being here. Like enjoying the summer, traveling, playing, enjoying my family, and recording the debut Zimbamoto album!!! It soiunds amazing thus far, is not even mixed yet and I'm super proud to be playing on it and producing it. Release party will be November 23 at the WISE Hall. Mark the date.
In other news, I'm slowly getting back into the world of academia and writing after taking off what seems like several months. It's hard.
Not many gigs this Fall it seems, not where my mind is at, trying to schedule and make some. Adanu Habobo is taking a little breather for the Fall and I have one interesting kind of world/classical thing coming up in October with a visiting artists from Poland. More on that on the sidebar of gigs.
Ok, back to writing this conference presentation.
July 13, 2017
Summer Heats Up
Oh my, I forgot to mention so many things that are happening in July...oops! Not the least of which was an awesome Vancouver jazz festival gig with my group. Awesome bunch of players, and happy to have best bud Pat Boyle holding it down on the bass this time.
One major thing on the go is Zimbamoto'sdebut album!!! We are scheduled to hit the studio on July 28-30 for the initial tracking and will do subsequent overdubs later. Hope to release it in November. We are also doing some crowdfunding to help complete it. Luckily, we were recipients of some funding from the BC gov (via Creative BC and the BC Music Fund). Our Indigogo campaign is HERE
Please share it around the web!!!
So much more happening over the summer. I've been subbing with Locarno and the BC World Music Collective, which has been great fun. We bought a tent and went camping as a family for the first time, which was a success! And I've been slowly upgrading my drumset instead of buying a new one. I'm convinced that what the music instrument manufacturers are selling us is a lie. We don't need $2000 snare drums. A drum is a drum IMO, and with some care and knowledge, any drum can sound decent enough. Cymbals on the other hand...a diffeernt story.
July will see me in BC for the most part but August will be a return back to Newfoundland...will be a time for sure.
June 13, 2017
The Lure...
I've been playing music on a stage for a number of years now and one thing that has always mystified myself and my partners in presenting live music is what makes an audience member leave their home to come out and watch you perform.
Everyone has their own theory I'm sure, and thousands (no, millions) are spent on promotional efforts and advertising for various concerts everyday. Yet, I'm sensing some kind of lethargy or apathy among the "audience". It seems harder and harder to simply get people out of their house and into a seat (or floorspace) at a show. Almost any kind of entertainment is at everyone's fingertips with the internet being what it is today. And it almost everyone is mediating their lives and experiences through a digital means in what appears to me to be an unhealthy proportion.
This was all brought home to me very recently during a couple of concerts I did last week. A well-known organization presented and promoted these concerts. The line-up and programming was unique and of high calibre in my opinion, not too mention being somewhat rare for this city. And some amount of money and effort was spent on promotion. Yet for both concerts, the total audience attendance may have been about 40 people. Yes, 4-T, Forty, Four-Zero.
Maybe it was the timing, maybe people had no money for mid-week entertainment, maybe they were tired from a day of work. Whatever it was, it amazed me that in a city of this size, with a seemingly diverse and cosmopolitan taste, that an event such as the one I was part of fared so poorly in terms of attendance.
At least the music came out great and we had fun. But it makes me wonder about the future of live performance that is not U2, a band that sells beer in a bar, or the next "IT" sound.
There will always be someone who will come out to see live performance, but I must ask the question, is live music, as we have known it for the past several decades, dying?
May 29, 2017
Music & Friends
Music is truly one of the great forces of unity in the universe.
I just spent the past weekend among what were strangers to begin with but we ended up making some beautiful music and good vibrations together, and many laughs. I guess that happens when you spend an intense number of hours with people, but more is at play. "Musicking" with others creates connections that go beyond quotidian interactions and verbal exchanges. Something larger is being shared amongst the participants. I thank Malavika for inviting me to be a part of her bharatantayam team for the 2 performances we did and look forward to working with them all again.
I was also pleasantly suprised to know about the vibrant South Indian arts scene in Edmonton (who would have thought?!?!) and met some other artists there as well, including Ashwin Iyer, of the "Toronto Brothers" Carnatic singing duo, who seems to be one of the driving forces for promoting Carnatic music in that area. Here's to hoping more collaborations may come in the future, either there or here in Vancouver.
May 25, 2017
More Rhythm
The VanAfrica production was succesfull on all fronts and a great learning experience. I hope more can be done with that ensemble in the future. Should get some good video from the show as well which I'll post eventually.
Short notice on this one but I'm happy and honoured to be traveling to Edmonton in a day to perform with an established Bharatanatyam company based out of Calgary/Edmonton, that of Malavika Venkatsubbaiah's Natyam Academy. We will performing on two nights during the Thousand Faces Festival
See the poster below or visit the website for more info.
Then in June the Vancouver Inter-Cultural Orchestra (VICO) will be having their Global Soundscapes Festival: Hands On! - Celebrating intercultural percussion music. I'm honoured to be included in this. I will be participating in several ways, inlcuding two performances and a workshop and even a lec-dem on South Indian drumming (on May 30 at the VPL). I'll post more details on the left or visit the festival website for full details: Global Soundscapes Festival
May 9, 2017
Some Other Things...
My apologies to Ken Shorely.
He's doing a yeoman service to percussion in Canada in many ways, not the least of which is a series of video interviews with a varied bunch of artists, myself included. Here is an interview he did with me last year when we met in St. John's, NL for the Sound Symposium.
May 5, 2017
5th Decade
I turned 40 on May 2.
A big deal? For some. I feel no different. If anything, I still feel like the youngest person in the room at times. A state of mind. Maybe a product of my experience (I'm usually younger than everyone around me it seems). Or maybe I just don't engage with the fact that I have in fact been alive this long and have had some profound experiences. That is, I am nearing the "middle-age".
Whatever the age/number, I still approach life in the same way. With an open heart and mind, always cognizant that I know very little about what is going, and there is always something beyond what we have been taught, what we experience, and what we think we know.
Stay humble y'all.
Speaking of which, I just returned from an amazing month in Ghana. The shortest I've ever been there (couldn't bear to be away from my baby any longer) which made it that much more intense. I'm developing my relationships with various spiritualists deeper, gaining more insight and experience into that world, philosophy, and reality that is vodu. And filling my boots with more info for my dissertation. Oh, if I only had a few more lives to lead. The more I learn the more I know how much I don't know.
Now I'm back here and working towards some concerts, especially the upcoming VanAfrica concerts. A pleasure to work with some of these explosive artists. Do check it out if you are in Vancouver on May 11th or 12th.
March 1, 2017
Approaching 1/3rd
Wow, March 1 already. I guess I better get cracking on this dissertation...hahaha.
Well, I don't have to finish for another couple of years, but it is good to stay engaged, which is why my advisor has requested I present some semblence of a chapter before April, when I head to Ghana for a month of fieldwork (perhaps my final before I graduate). Been spending the last month going over data collected from my 2015 visit. The next few weeks I'll sculpt it in to something prose-like.....so easy to get distracted though.
Baby Leela (more like toddler Leela) is the best distraction ever. Amazing to watch her grow and express herself. I am NOT looking forward to being away for a month (the longest yet gap yet). ;'-(
This month I'm not doing many gigs but am doing two great things, a chamber Carnatic concert, and the day after a dance concert. When it rains it pours I guess. These kind of recitals are so rare in this city (and in my life). I'm so blessed to able to partake in them and have the experience. See details on the left or under the Music section.
Ok.....back to the work.
January 17, 2017
Another Spin Around The Sun
Let's see what 2017 brings. Change no doubt. Though I doubt the lack of time I spend writing here will change. If anything, I'm trying to lessen my time in front of a computer. So much of our waking hours are slowly but surely being sucked out of activity and interaction, instead into blank stares, stiff bodies, and furrowed brows by the light of a glowing screen (both large and small). Where will this lead?
My one goal is to spend at least as much time on a musical instrument as on a computer. And even more time with my daughter while she is awake.
There are a number of musical activities happening for me in Jan and Feb, though none of these come without the aforementioned necessary screen-time to organize those events. The life of the independent artist.
These two are worthy and cool events:
October 27, 2016
Vodu comes to Surrey
I have a lot to do with this:
October 10, 2016
Thanks to Give
Before I begin, I have to say I have no time for this (this, what I am doing right now). There is so much else to life than putting a few words here periodically. Hence the extended periodic nature of my input in this context.
That said, today is Thanksgiving and there is always something to be thankful for. Though I'm nursing a lower back muscle spasm for the last 7 days, I'm generally in pretty good health, which is something one should never take for granted. Health and mobility are blessings for all of us, so if you have them, cherish them.
Of course, I'm especially thankful for my wonderful family, both near and far. If you have that, consider yourself blessed.
And musically, while we all wish for something grander than what we have, I'm pretty lucky to do what I do with the people I do it with. Fuck lofty ambitions, notions of fame and all those illusions. I'm blessed to have some truly great musical souls in my circle that I get to explore with on a regular basis.
August 26, 2016
Developing Developments
I'm happy to let you all know about a worthy initiative happening in Dagabmete (the location of my PhD research and the first village I ever visited in Ghana). The village has built a great health clinic and needs to provide the hospital equipment before the government will get involved and pay nurses and doctors. Luckily, the Queen Mother, Mama Adzorhlor III (aka Aku Dunyo Richter) has done amazing work in bringing this to reality. Visit this page to contribute and learn more.
If one is still interested in developing rural Ghana, you can also visit my own Dzogadze Education Development Foundation page and see the work we have been doing.
Every little bit helps in this endeavours. And 99% of the money donated goes where it is needed, not to any salaries, office expenses, etc.
Grassroots y'all!!!
July 2, 2016
Midnight Sun
Just spent a week in the Yukon. Wow. So much beauty in Canada. And surreality. Daylight for about 20hrs and the remaining 4 were something akin to dusk. Next I want to be there for Winter Solstice. All darkness, all the time.
Now summer is under way I suppose. Sound Symposium is coming up in St. John's, NL where I'll be from July 8-18 with Zimbamoto. Check that out if on the Rock, a musical celebration like none other.
My comprehensive exams as part of my PhD at UBC were completed in early June. Now I can relax a little, no major tasks towards that for a few months, but I am busy preparing for a symposium on African Indigenous Knowledge coming off on Sep.9/10 which I'm spearheading with Dr. Kofi Gbolonyo (with the assistance of a SSHRC grant via my advisor Dr. Michael Tenzer). More on that later.
But for now, I'm enjoying my daughter as much as possible as she keeps it all in perspective.
May 4, 2016
This Was Awesome.....
Feb.25, 2016
A Great Tree Has Fallen
R.I.P Simeon "Pop" Dean (Feb.16,1924 - Feb.19,2016)
son, husband, brother, uncle, father, grandfather (to me), great-grandfather, great-great-grandfather and friend and inspiration to many.
Oct.3, 2015
Greatest Creation
A child is born. Life will never be the same. All else pales in comparison.
Shantaleela Rosana Rao Andrews. 2:02pm, September 2, 2015.
August 19, 2015
Priorities
My oh my. Months without updating. Bigger things on my plate, like a baby soon to be born!!!
June 23, 2015
Shorter Days
I guess summer is now beginning to bloom all over this hemisphere. I just came back from a "pre-Solstice" journey to the Big Island of Hawai'i....a truer paradise on Earth is harder to find. Perhaps the last journey my wife and I will have before welcoming our daughter into the world this Septmeber. That is a whole other kind of journey!! Hawai'i has everything one could ask for just about: perfect temperature, amazing landcapes, oceans, snorkeling off the beach, mangoes that fall from the trees on the roadside for you to eat (after washing), lush, lush, lush and a laid-back vibe (is there any other choice?). If I ever get some $$, I'd buy a house there in a flash.
Other than that the summer is looking kinda slow, might give me time to prepare mentally for what comes in the Fall. In some shitty news, I did not get some fellowships I was hoping for. Somewhat devastating at first, with the prospect of a LOT less income coming my way whilst beng a grad student...wind kinda went out of my sails a bit. We'll see how that journey goes..not doing much acdemically over the summer and am gonna start studying for comprehensive exams in the Fall...the next big step in this PhD affair.
Musically not much new on the horizon, doing some home recording with Kurai Mubaiwa which is fun, mixing the recordings for the Apetorku Gbodzi CD today, and will do some namasankirtanam type of activities with a great singer I met recently from Chennai who started his own Hanuman temple in Surrey. A few gigs over the summer with Zhambai and Tarab too (Hazem Matar is visiting for a month in July). Keep watching the side bar.
May 19, 2015
Summer's Eve
Mission accomplished in Ghana. Though I had a short 5 weeks there, I managed to do about 85% of the tasks I had on my mental list. A good amount of fieldwork, numerous interviews, recordings, songs, and most interestingly, a commercial recording was made of Agbodzi (shrine) songs using some equipment I took along with me. I'll mix/edit it very soon and send back to Ghana for duplication and release. Also made some new acquaintances with a Zangbeto hunor who I saw buried alive one day in Dagbamete. That's a different story though which I might post on the Ghana page.
Have settled back into life here though I still havent' fully unpacked, always takes me awhile.
This past weekend I had the great fortune to play for a Bharatanatyam dancer. A challenge and learning experience which I have not felt in awhile. Lots to remember, to accent, to interact with. Very different than playuing for concerts. And got to meet a great bunch of new artists who were visiting, especially Puneet and Taniya Panda. Sujit Vaidya, the dancer, did wonderfully. I hope Vancouver can support more live dance/music like this.
April 15, 2015
Drums, Dancing, Sweat
Been in Ghana for about 2.5 weeks now. Hit the ground running, straight from the airport to a wake-keeping for an old friend of mine who was a chief. That went on till the next day....and continued with his funeral and still more drumming in the evening. With that over it was the Apetorku fetatrortror festival which lasted for 10 days, saw a few thousand extra people descend on Dagbamete and a WHOLE lot of blood, palm oil, and spirit flowing. Everyone is was in some kind of extended sleep deprived, alcohol and music entrenched haze as there were nightly wake-keepings at the shrine. A thing of beauty. Feelings of togetherness and joy that are hard to beat.
Still about 2.5 weeks left. Trying to do lots of interviews, stay healthy, have some drumming lessons, get to the bottom of some of these ritual-music connections, and avoid the mosquitoes.
March 3, 2015
Ghana On The Horizon
Well, just a few more weeks and I'll be on a plane once again, heading back to Ghana for a very short month of research (March 26-May 2). I'm going to be quite focused in fact - spend most time in Dagabamate, interviewing heads of the Apetorku Shrine, recording during the festival and perhaps organize some dedicated recording sessions of that music/song/drumming, and of course take some further lessons on the various repertoires that are employed there. It is music I have been hearing for over 15 years but only recently have I really started to listen to it.
Just dropped about $1000 on some recording and video gear as well, so I better make use of it!!
School has been well this term, timewise not too demanding but reading a book each week and creating a thoughtful summary from an ethno point of view has been a task enough. Great course in ethnography it is. Add to this various gigs and rehearsals and now planning for the summer/festivals and some upcoming grant deadlines and it feels like there is not enough time in the day.
In completely different news I have started going to the gym!! Yep, never thought I write those words. Why you may ask? Well, my metabolism is not exactly speeding up and my eating habits are the same. I'm basically trying to enjoy my life as I always have gastronomically, but mitigate the ever expanding mid section, which can be the harbinger of other woes to one's health. So why not nip it in the bud or at least keep it at bay?
I'm definitely the odd one out. Feels that way at least!
Jan. 15, 2015
Here We Go Again...
Jeez. Poor website. You get little love from me for months on end! And for the very few who read this from time to time, sorry for the silence. Not much gets said here anyhow. I can't be bothered posting life advice or media content to keep you coming back..I've got too much else to do in life.
Lots of happenings since Oct.12, 2014. Played a great Carnatic concert in late October, Adanu had a super concert in late November, and I finished my 3rd term of grad school. December was spent mostly in India, a week on Neil Island with no electronic at all (what a treat) and my days spent snorkelling, eating coconuts, and riding a bicycle around the tiny island. Then 2 weeks in Chennai during the peak of the December season, following my guru around and geeting my rhythmic consciousness expanded regularly. Always an experience. Also had a chance to play a New Year's show with good ol' Pancho and Sal (Rio Samaya Band) in Goa and spend a couple of days lounging with them in a hammock.
Now back in Vancouver, killed by jetlag ( a week later I may be getting back to normal) and got the news that I have offically been enrolled in the PhD program at UBC, thereby skipping the MA section!!! Soon to the comps (oh dear). I've got to get down to business soon and start some transcribing and analyzing some of my recordings. Also start a clear research plan for my next trips to Ghana. This all seems to be happening so fast! Where will it end? Who knows. Step-by-step.
Oct. 12, 2014
Into The Throes
Wow. I was just in Toronto on a whirlwind trip to play a show with Lapis at the newly opened Aga Khan
museum. The impression it made on me is still lingering. Th architecture, iconography, and of course, the collection of the museum itself are fascinating. Items that span the Islamic world from Spain to China from 6th century AD through present. I only had an hour to go through but enjoyed it all the same. If you are in TO, do yourself a favor and visit. Some of the paintings, wow..... simply no words to express. And the architecture inside was so aesthetically pleasing, very symmetrical and at times acoustically rich.
Lapis was performing in the auditorium in the museum, which programs a healthy performance series of varied and noteworthy artists, I was honored be among those that have performed. The organization itself treats artists quite well and sincerely appreciates our presence, which is a nice change from the normal circumstances and trials that musicians go through. I hope I can perform there again in the future.
Now I'm back in Vancouver, working on some school work, papers and the like. But lots of musical activities on the horizon as well, some of which are noted on this site.Speaking of music, for those interested in Carnatic music, TM Krishna, one of the leading voices in that musical realm will actually be giving a lecture/demonstration on Nov.16 in Surrey!
Sep.6, 2014
Falling Together
A new season (has it begun?). One can feel Summer disappear, best make the most of what is left before Fall arrives with its own rhythm and feeling. I like it though, always a new energy in Fall, many new beginnings. For me, my second year of school which I'm taking head on. A busy September with some writing deadlines and then a busy October with numerous gigs, including a number of South Indian events which I'm looking forward to. And cooking, always cooking. Been on an Ethiopian kick lately, but some flavours elude me....can't beat Harambe on Commercial Drive! My salted fish should arrive from Newfoundland whenever someone is coming this way from there as well.
Kofi Golonyo made is back from Ghana and we'll be doing more, including a big show with Adanu Habobo on Nov.29 at the Roundhouse. Promises to be something great with traditional rhythms from Zimbabwe and Ghana and a nice horn section to augment the whole show. Some public participation on that one as well. Maybe a Zimbamoto album?
Stay tuned.
July 24, 2014
Coast to Coast...again
Well, I can't complain. I had quite a time at the Sound Symposium a couple of weeks ago. The highlight was indeed getting to play with kora master Boujou Cissoko and my buddy Pat Boyle on trumpet. Played a house concert, did a workshop and then killed it at one of the evening concerts. Hope to do more with that trio. Should have some video ready from that soon. As usual, I got to meet a number of amazing and diverse artists including Bill Horist, Bart Hopkin and my personal fav, John Kameel Farah. I met John about 7 years ago in TO and have been advocating for him to come to the Sound Symposium for years....finally! He did not disappoint. The best was a solo concert he did on a pipe organ in a church. I only got to see 15mins of his 40min set (soundcheck beckoned!), but from that 15mins alone, I was changed. It was a healing experience of sorts, very hard to describe but he was taking us on a journey for sure. Plus the sheer physical impact of a pipe organ is something to behold.
Got to see a few friends and family but not enough time as usual. Luckily, I'll be heading back in a week or so to play at the Newfoundland & Labrador Folk Festival, this time with my good brother Kurai Mubaiwa. He's been there back in 2010 (at Sound Symposium) and LOVES it there. Who deosn't really? I hope to get a day out on the water if possible and get some codfish to bring back to Vancouver with me. Maybe blueberries will be ready too!
Summer has been busy thus far with some travel and playing, but I'm striving to find some time to enjoy the nature that surrounds me. I encourage you to do the same wherever you are.
June 29, 2014
Good Things Coming
Man o man o man o man! I guess I've been too busy for this little piece of cyberspace. Returned from Ghana about 4 weeks ago. Amazing time as always. I wrote a little missive about it which you could have read if you were on my mailinglist, so please feel free to join it by sending me a note saying so! Made a lot of headway in terms of research towards my graduate school and was lucky to visit Agbomey (Benin) once again to taste some of that sweet, sweet music that they play over there. Some of the deepest polyrhythmic grooves you'll find anywhere.
My 1st year of my MA is 85% done, just have a major research paper to revise and submit by summer's end. The grad school experience is a journey, one I will be on for a few more years. But I'll do it my way as much as I can and make it fulfilling for myself. The key is to enjoy what you are focusing your efforts upon. I was lucky to receive a nice SSHRC fellowship which was encouraging and will help with my costs of being a student.
Beyond all the school, I'm still playing lots of music (thankfully). Busy with Zimbamoto
here and there and will play a few festivals over the coming months here in BC And praise the Gods I'll be returning to Newfoundland not once but TWICE this summer! In July for the always inspiring Sound Symposium where I'll play a couple of concerts with my newest musical friend, Boujou Badialy Cissoko.He is the real deal in terms of kora playing and we have been developing a nice rapport. Good ol' Paddy Boyle will be joining us for those concerts. Then again in August the Newfoundland and Labrador Folk Festival will fly my mbira buddy Kurai Mubaiwa and myself back to play at their event. Kurai LOVES NL so it will be good to have him there again. Pat will join us for this gig as well. Hopefully the blueberries will be ready in August and some icebergs and whales will be there in July. Do I need to say how awesome NL can be in the summer months?
Ok, that's enough for today. I'm gonna go see if I can convince my wife to watch an episode of The Treme (Google it!)
Feb.24, 2014
Like Bananas
"Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flys like bananas"
Time is an eternal mystery, this I know. And our perception of it is at the foundation of this enigma.
When younger, time would drag on, traveling seemed to take forever, the days leading up to Saturday morning and your cartoons were an eternity. Now, older and busier, time seems to fly like nothing else. February is already nearly over and it seems like I don't have enough time to do all that needs doing.
I just came from my first academic conference in Seattle where I presented a paper on Carnatic rhythmic calculation/thought. Was a good experience overall. Have another one this weekend at UBC on a different topic altogether....still needs to be written!! Plus a 40+ page project in process, another major term paper for another class, plus readings, grant deadlines, applications for this and that. All of this on top of rehearsing, gigging and trying to plan gigs for the summer. All has to be done by Apil 5 when I take off for Maui and the Ghana until May 31!
Somehow, I'll find the time.
In other news, the first Offering gig of 2014 is coming up. Glad to have Dave Spidel on bass and good vibes. We'll be trying out one of my tracks that I never play live, the percussion/rhythm heavy "Olive Ridley's Lament"...check it out on my music page.
Jan.14, 2014
And it begins
January started slow, I thought I could relax for a spell. Well that dream is over with no shortage of things keeping me busy now. Gigs of various sorts, meeting new musicians and maybe starting new projects (should I be doing this?), preparing papers for a conference, trying to organize and apply for festivals in the summer, planning a trip to Ghana in April and so on.
And now I might be doing a major independent project on top of the rest of my classes!! Anyhow, I asked for it.
One major event is coming up on Feb.8 and will be featuring Adanu Habobo, Zhambai Trio, kora master Boujou Cissoko and Guinean guitar phenom Alpha Yaya Diallo. If that weren't enough, my good ol' buddy Awal Alhassan will be joing Adanu as well as a 4-piece horn section!!!
Dec.20, 2013
Turning of the Year
First term done.
Time manangement seems to be the biggest challenge and I have a bit of hold on it now. Excited to start the 2nd term and see how it all unfolds. In Newfoundland now after being in frozen Ottawa (-31 with windchill!!!) for a spell. Respect to the Inuit folks. Newfoundland to has a bit of snow, even Vancouver so I am told. Tis' winter after all. Been laying low here on The Rock, hanging with the family, decorsting the tree, try and see some friends when I can. Have a couple of gigs too which will be fun, especially on th 23rd with Pat Boyle on bass!
Fly back to Van on Dec.31 for New Year's and the 2014 hits.
2014 will be another revolution. No resolutions really. Just keeping on living, learning, loving, sharing and giving. And of course, more music.
Hope yours is as good as it can be.
Oct.22, 2013
My Brain is Bigger
Alright then.
Nearly 2 months later and I here I am. What changes…my God. Being back in school IS quite an adjustment for me. I’m used to a lazy, free kind of life with little commitments (beyond what I create for myself) and no deadlines (save for the random grant deadline a couple times a year). But now in Grad school I’m having to do readings, assignments and research papers!! Being evaluated (with numbers/grades) is kind of weird too. Is it even necessary at the graduate level?
All that said, I’m managing well and learning LOTS about a range of things in the Ethnomusicological world and beyond and can feel my brain expanding and using powers of concentration that were long dormant (or put towards musical things I guess). Many thoughts about the future and where this will all lead me and what impact I can have.
But I keep making music. How can one stop? Have been busy with Lapis and hope we can get some funding to record. Did a great gig with my trio Sancharam at UBC which was well received and have more things coming up with Zimbamoto, Adanu Habobo, Lapis and Tarab. Should I slow down?
Naaah.
I gotta play, I can’t only be an academic…it is unbalanced to me, especially if one is an academic focused on music. Isn’t the music what is most important (some will debate of course). As with most of my life, I see myself on the periphery of the mainstream so I’m curious how I’ll integrate with this world.
Speaking of which, I have reading to do!!
August 30, 2013
The Big Smoke, The Rock and Blueberries
Well, well, well. What to say. The last while has been a whirlwind. 2 weeks in Toronto to strengthen ties with friends old and new, spend some quality time with my guru Trichy Sankaran (who never ceases to amaze with his wisdom, generosity and overall greatness) and saw some superb music, ranging from some futuristic neo-soul from Australia (Hiatus Kayote), hardcore (Phil Anselmo) and heaviest of heavy, Black Sabbath!!!!!
For the last while I've been in St. John's, NL with a few jaunts out "around the bay". Managed to pick some chanterelle mushrooms (without meaning to find them) and will soon go pick a whack of blueberries to bring back to Vancouver. If you don't know, Newfoundland is basically covered in blueberry bushes and they are in bloom this time of year. Just go into any patch of land off the highway, walk and eventually you'll hit some bushes. Sweetest berries ever.
Of course, playing a tonne of music while here, eventhough I only planned on doing 3 shows, it seems like I'll have done about 7 or 8 before I head back to Vancouver next week.
Speaking of which, my life will go into a different mode very soon when I enter school again. Exciting times!!
July 23, 2013
Summer Fun
So much good weather here in Vancouver these days, why spend it on a computer inside? Been hitting the beach as much as I can (but not to swim, too cold for me) and spending a lot of time in my hammock on our balcony.
Good times.
Had a whirlwind of different gigs recently too and had a great experience teaching at a 5 day summer jazz camp operated by my friend Jared Burrows. Was quite rewarding to see the participants develop over such a short period of time.
Now preparing for a couple fo Zimbamoto/Zhambai Trio shows and especially looking forward to having Antuan Nunez from Cuba (now living in Vancouver) play some tres with us at the Mission Folk Festival gig!! He recently moved here and I'm trying to bring him out to different jams when I can, great musician.
Also gearing up for my visit to TO (Aug.4-17) to see my guru and some friends and then 2 weeks in Newfoundland (Aug.17-Sep.5). Sooooo looking forward to that trip. Might even get some cod-jigging in if lucky. Hopefully the blueberries will be in season too!!
And then my big change in life, returning to school in September at UBC. Got my courses registered, some books bought and now must prepare for a slight change in lifestyle!!
All good though.
June 14, 2013
The Road Ahead
So today I registered for most of my courses for my graduate school journey to start in Spetember. Feels very real now. Will be an interesting time and I do believe I'll thrive...I have a lot to share and explore. My biggest problem is choosing what NOT to focus on since I have done so much over the past 12 years since leaving school.
Other than that the last month has been a process of settling in. After I arrived back from Ghana my parents came to visit and enjoy Vancouver (and me too of course). Since they left I have been struggling to even just organize my house and life! Been playing some cool shows and met some interesting new musicians. I think I'll be having some tough choices to make regarding time/energy management come September. Though in school I'll still need to play!!!
Upcoming are some interesting shows and one new group I have joined is called "Lapis" with Rup Sidhu and Mohamed Assani. We played a cool set recenty fusing beatboxing, beats, sitar, rhymes, mridangam, mbira, kanjira and ghatam (!!!). More to come from that group.
May 17, 2013
Back in the West
An amazing 2 months in West Africa. Lots to share...need some time to get it together..stay tuned.
March 14, 2013
6 Months Around The World + $50,000???
So my wife has entered this very interesting contest where you make a video, write a blogpost and basically make a case for why you derserve an all-expenses paid trip for 6 months on 6 continents and at the end you get $50,000!!!
????
Yes, it is true. You can view her entry and vote too by clicking below!
March 3, 2013
Raising Some Funds For Ghana
Mark it down folks, March 17 I'll be involved in and organizing the first fundraiser in Vancouver, for the work I have been doing in Ghana since 2007. It will indeed be a warm and fuzzy evening with some great music as well featuring Zimbamoto, Tarab, Rio Samaya Band, Mezcla and the premier of ADANU HABOBO, a Ghanaian traditional drum/dance ensemble that is being led by myself and Dr. J.S. Kofi Gbolonyo.
Here is a FACEBOOK PAGE
The proceeds from this fundraiser will go towards the work that I have been doing as well as school project that Kofi has been undertaking in Ghana for the past several years. My own project has been detailed on this website and you can know more by clicking on the DZOGADZE FUND button on the top-right of the page. Kofi's project - GHANA SCHOOL PROJECT is essentially a free music school for children in his hometown, both traditional and Western music.
This is a great cause and 100% of the money raised goes straight into the work being done, none of it for administrative fees, promo, office space etc.
Please spread the word to your friends and network.
Also know that tax-deductible donations are accepted for the Dzogadze Education Development Foundation , via an elementary school we have partnered with in Newfoundland who processes the receipts.
Feb.14, 2013
Love Is All Around
Valentine's Day it is!! I think the only time I've ever really "celebrated" this day was in elementary school when we made/bought cards and gave them to our classmates. Nowadays, love is everyday all the time no?
For me anyways.
Been a good year so far, the Language of Rhythm Project (L.O.R.) is under way and still workshops left with that project. Our final cocert will be March 21 on the International Day for the Elimination of Racism. More info about all of that is on the Public Dreams website which is HERE.
In a couple of days my Sangati concert will happen. A bit of buzz surrounding it which is great and I am really looking forward to make this effort come to fruition. Been rehearsing lots with Jared and Colin to get my original pieces up to speed and they sound great. Will be a treat to play with Vidyasagar and Prabha as usual and excited to introduce Karthigha to Vancouver audiences as well.
Also be on the lookout for the Adanu Habobo debut concert on March 17! It will happen during a fundraiser that Kofi Gbolonyo and I are organizing in support of the work we both do in Ghana. A Facebook page is here: HERE.
Besides all this, lots of other cool things happening. Had an AMAZING show with Tarab at Cafe Deux Soleils on Saturday past and look forward to doing more with that group. And soon, I'll be off to Ghana!!! (March 25-May14)
Jan.23, 2013
52 Years
Well then, I guess the experts were wrong , Dec.21, 2012 did not end the world. But according to the Mayans, something did end (and something else began again). This I heard from a Mayan man himself at a Mayan city of old in Mexico recently. Quite fascinating the Mayan reckoning of time, cycles, life and their calculations/numbering system.
And an awesome environment too of course :-) Anu and I spent 2 weeks in the Yucatan, snorkeling, swimming in the ocean and in cenotes (freshwater underground water systems!!) and eating LOTS of tortillas. Before that was in Ottawa and NL visiting family and enjoying the holiday season.
2013....doing some cool things already including this LOR project which sees me and 7 other Vancouver artists (other drummers, First Nations singers, beatbox/rapper) coming together to create some new music based on our love and understanding of rhythm. A series of workshops too. Check the details on the left. Most exciting to me is my concert on Feb.16 with some great South Indian musicians including Vidyasagar Vankayala (voice), Karthiga Parmeswaran (veena), Prabha Sivaratnam (violin), Jared Burrows (guitar) and Colin Maskell (sax/flute). Yours truly on the mridangam. Do make it if you can...we don't get a chance to produce music in a setting like the Western Front very often.
Not sure what else 2013 will bring..no major plans besides those things thus far. No tour plans, no festivals booked. Who knows where I'll end up. For sure I know I'll be in Ghana from March 25-May 17 and still have room for people on my Ghana trip. Hope to get deeper into some Guruni music in Northern Ghana and hopefully back to Benin as well for more Fon music styles and life.
And finally, I've submitted my UBC grad school application so my life may begin to become a whole lot different!
Dec.14, 2012
Yuletide Times
Well, I'm not sure what happened to November really, but here we are in mid-December. In Ottawa now visiting Anu's family which is fun. Playing indoor living room hockey and soccer, doing puzzles, being lazy, seeing bits of Ottawa....which is actually kind of a nice little city. In a couple of days we'll head further east and spend 13 days back on the Rock which will very welcomed. Get to see Pop, my family, friends and play a couple of shows. I've decided to not actively book to many things in there because the time is so short and there are many people to see and be with.
The Ship gig on Dec.27 will be especially fun and I hope to see some friends there, it might be the only chance I'll get to see some people in fact. Have a new piece written called "A Frayed Knot" which was intended to be simple to play and learn, but ended up being something completely different!
Dec.29 will be an afternoon, family-friendly gig at the foyer of the Arts & Culture Centre being organized by the Sound Symposium. Will feature some Scruncheons, Dzolali, Black Auks and much more. Always a good time!
Dec.31 Anu and I will take a little side trip to the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico(!!). Flights were pretty cheap from NL-Mexico-Vancouver so we bit the bullet. Will spend most time in small town called Xcalak, visit Tulum a bit, do some snorkeling, get vitamin D and see some Mayan ruins!
Finally, I have a friend in need. Diane Smithers is a great photographer and has run into some serious hurdles with gear being stolen (cameras, lenses, hard drives) as well as cash. She has set up an fundraising campaign to get back on track. The link to her site is HERE.
October 29, 2012
No Tricking, But Some Treats!
Wow.
A month on the road is no joke. The tour was quite intense overall, but also quite comfortable and well-organized. Perhaps the best I have ever been on. But in the end, I think touring is not my preferred way to make money or music. It is great to be able to travel the world and play music of course, I am very lucky to do that. But as a preferred means, I'd like to stay local. On tour, you don't really get much chance to do much besides see your hotel, your car, your venue and then your hotel. It is hard to think about life outside of the tour either and as for "seeing" the world, it is usually through the window of whatever mode of transportation you have.
That said, I'll still probably do some kind of tours again in the future, but will be more careful about how long they are and what they entail. I have been back for a week exactly and that is about how long it has taken for my life to return to some kind of normal. I had immense physical and some emotional pain to go through upon coming back home, as if everything I was going through during the tour was being absorbed so I could just get through it. Day after I got home I hurt in places I didn't know I had pain during the past 28 days!!! Good ol' adrenaline. That said, today I bought a pass for my local pool/rec-centre...not to swim, but to enjoy the awesome hot whirlpool and sauna!!!
Am now thinking of the immediate future and some gigs, rehearsals and plans for the rest of the year. Am also thinking of buying my tcket to Ghana ASAP because they are SUPER cheap on the Delta Airlines website. I have some interest for my trip but so far not many "confirmations", though that deadline is not until Jan 2013.
Oct.13, 2012
Deutscheland Uber Alles?....not really
Don't get me wrong, Germany is pretty cool after being here for the first time. I've only ever really spent time in airports but for the last 16 days or so (and until Oct.22) I've been all over Germany, everyday a different place played music with Uzume Taiko. Hearing German all around me is kind of odd as it is an odd language to my ears. Culturally, this place is not all that strange to me, maybe the vast amount of meat and bread that is eaten is a shock to me (like most of Europe perhaps?)And the clear lack of "colour" in most times we visit.
But playing music I have decided, is not the best way to see a country. I much prefer visiting a place to study music, taking my own time, sticking around and absorbing what is arond me. The pace I am on is a different place everyday, different hotel, different venue. The music itself is the redeeming aspect. But that is only 15% of the day. But I am lucky and grateful I can make a living this way.
Not without some incidents though! In short.....Oktoberfest, several 1 litre beers, a 20 feet high stage, no ID/passport, a security, police station, a small bag of white powder (Vitamin C in fact!!) and then a free ride to the hotel by my new friends in uniform.
Not to mention an average speed of 200km/h (and at times 240!!!) on the autobahn.
Life moves fast over here.
August 24, 2012
Turn of the Seasons..
Summer is still trying to keep its face showing, but I can feel Fall in the air. All good though as Fall in Vancouver is pretty awesome anyhow.
Lots going on this Fall for sure. Of special note is the new Adanu Habobo which I am forming with Ghanaian drummer/dancer/teacher Dr. J.S. Kofi Gbolonyo. He has been here for 3 years and we have been trying to start a group and it is finally happening. This group will focus on the traditional music of Ghana, especially from the Ewe side as that is both our areas of expertise. We have a core of dancers and still need a few more drummers. Contact me if you or someone you know would fit in the group. They can come by and we can see how they do.
Besides that, there are a few nice shows coming up, especially Thursday Aug.30th with Rio Samaya band at Nuba. Last time was a blast, this will be too.
In some great news, Zhambai has been invited to showcase at Mundial MOntreal, a new world music showcase/event that happens in Montreal. We'll do it up in November, hopefully we get some funding!!
Speaking of funding, a few days ago I found out I got some for my "neo-Carnatic" concert which I'll probably do in January. More on that later.
Sunshine Music fest in Powell River coming up and hopefully some camping. Enjoy the outdoors whe you can!
August 3, 2012
Criss-Cross
Sin Jawns, Sin Jawns, St. John's.....never a dull moment when I get there these days. I was lucky to be there from June 30 (arrived 3:20am which set the tone for most of my evenings) and returned on July 24. The question is not what did I do but what did I NOT do. Tonnes of music at the jazz festival, Sound Symposium and more. So many friends, kites to fly, codfish to jig (yes, I went jigging with Paddy Boyle), family to hug and eat with, whales to watch.
St. John's in the summer is one pf the best places on Earth.
The Sound Symposium itself had so much for me this year. I had several friends from Toronto come down and stay for the duration of 6 days and I took them around in grand style, late nights and early morns at in the bars, seeing the sights, soaking in it all. Played some great shows, esp a duo show with my cohort Patrick Boyle with a tribute to the "Adorable" Adrian Adonis ( behind us a huge screen of his match with "Rowdy" Roddy Piper at Wrestlemania 3....epic indeed). Some time to hang and jam with the inimitable Jaron Freeman-Fox as well.
Though shorther than previous years, the SS for 2012 did have some redemming moments and allowed for a greater use of energy in such a short span. One of the highlights was driving out to Doctor's Cove on the edge of the land, hanging with my old friend Reuben "Beny" Esguerra (who is about to release an awesome spoken word/hip-hop/precussion album) and letting Gayle Young show us how to make lithophones from rocks we found at the water's edge. Truly amazing day in the sun.
Good to be back in Vancouver now and making things work. Playing some nice shows with Zimbamoto & Zhambai Trio in August, an interesting world fusion type of gig in September with a varied and talented cast and then in later September a tour to Germany with Uzume Taiko. One major thing that will be getting off the ground is a new West African drum/dance ensemble with my friends Kofi Gbolonyo. It will be called "Adanu Habobo" and will finally be an outlet for all the music from West Africa I have been keeping within myself. We'll see how it goes.
Speaking of dance... THIS FELLOW is in a word, amazing.
Enjoy!
June 28, 2012
To The East!!!
Man o man o man. No shortage of things to be at. Zhambai CD release went amazing. Bongo Love were great and Zimbamoto brought the heat. Probab;y the best Zhambai Trio show yet...great energy from the crowd who was there to dance share their love.
I've done most of the admin work and CDs have been sent, now just finished a FACTOR grant application for Zimbamoto...we shall see.
Anu's absence (she being up on Haida Gwaii looking at birds) was filled by the guys from Bongo Love. I had them all staying here for a few days I gotta say, they are some of the nicest dudes.
And open minded too.
Funny, kind and very modern fellows. It was very refreshing to be around them. Making me want to go back and visit Zimbabwe!
They'll be back in Vancouver aroud November so we'll plan to do another show with them and Zimbamoto.
Just gearing up now for my trip back to The Rock. As you can see from my gig schedule, not a dull moment...gonna be grand.
It is also capelin season so I hope to taste a few and get some pictures as well. It is quite a sight...thousands of little fish spawning and killing themselves.
One more gig here in Vancouver with Pancho and Sal and then I'm off next morning at 8am.
No rest for the wicked they say, but I don't feel that wicked!
May 31, 2012
Blossoms
A lot has happened in the past month and more things ahead. Biggest is the success the Zhambai Triohad in raising funds for our debut CD. Thanks to everyone who contributed....good things coming your way. As I speak the manufacturing is underway and the result looks and sounds AMAZING! Greg Valou did a super job with the artwork. The release date has been set for June 21 at The Waldof Hotel and we'll have Zimbamoto joining us as well as Bongo Love , a super group of musicians all the way from Zimbabwe!!! Tell your friends and be sure to by some advance tickets, you get a better deal that way.
Besides that I've been busy with a cool new trio called Tarab which plays the highly emotive music of the Middle East (Egypt, Lebanon, Syria and more). This group is led by one Hazem Matar, a superlative oud player who is living here for a couple of years before going back to Saudi Arabia.
Had a great gig with my own ensemble The Offering of Curtis Andrews the other night at The Kozmik Zoo. Wonderful venue, crappy weather and awesome music. Lucky to have such great players play my tunes. Another possible gig with that group in June...stay tuned.
And of course I've been busy with Uzume Taiko ...recording our album, rehearsing our show for the October Germany tour and preparing for a local show on June 13 here in Vancouver. Details on the side.
Newfoundland in one month!!!
April 29, 2012
April Showers.....
It is beautiful here in Vancouver now. Leaves are slowly covering the bare branches of the thousands of trees that line our neighbourhods, sooooo many amazing flowers are showing themselves, especially the ubiquitous cherry blossoms which are always a treat for the senses. I gotta say, Spring in Vancouver is pretty awesome. I don't think I've ever been here during this time of year...either in Ghana or on tour somewhere.
Life is moving forward....many things on the plate. Been playing regularly with Jamie Perry (aka Boocephus King) in an interesting group called Orchestra Familia at Chai (on Broadway) each Friday. They've just opened a new place on Main St. and I think we'll shift there soon.
It goes places.
The Zhambai Trio fundraising efforts are under way (please tell your people!!) and we are slowly reaching our goal. Have a few dates over the summer booked as well. I'll be playing some shows in May with my jazz group, a Carnatic concert with Vidyasagar Vankayala and Prabha Sivaratnam,a gig with Acoutiscamoderna ( a new group I'm playing with), ZimbaMoto of course and with Rio Samaya whenever possible.
Also busy with Uzume Taiko in rehearsals for a show in June, a tour to Germany in October and two shows in November. We are also recording an album(!).
So things are pretty busy and I'm liking it. Will be turning 35 on May 2 which will be interesting. Divisible by 7 AND 5!
March 18, 2012
Zhambai On The Move
Another month gone and here we all are.....2012 is well underway.
I've been keepng busy with various things and am looking forward to the release of the Zhambai Trio CD which we are in the process of fundraising for right now. Just launched an on-line "crowdfunding" campaign with IndiGoGo (check the widget over on the left).
Besides that have been trying to get some music together for my own ensemble "The Offering", and look forward to a gig at The Kozmik Zoo in a couple of days as well as having a bit of action with ZimbaMoto, Jessi Nicholson and the Pacific Sound Collective.
One great thing that is on the horizon is a community Ghanaian drum and dance ensemble I will be putting together with Dr. Kofi Gbolonyo, a generous drummer/dancer/teacher who lives in Vancouver these days (and teaches at UBC). We just had a tasty performance with the student ensemble on Saturday past in fact.
Have also decided on my Newfoundland dates...will be there from June 29-July 24.
Sound Symposium in effect.
Oh yes.
Feb.10, 2012
The Gap is Over
After 2 months in India and Sri Lanka, getting married again (to the same wonderful person!) I am back in Vancouver. An amazing time was had. My sister, one of my brothers, parents and a slew of Anu's relatives and a dozen or so of our friends from around the world made it to the wedding.
A 2 week honeymoon in Sri Lanka opened our hearts and minds a bit more and I had the fortune to be around my Guru in Chennai for some of his concerts and watch hom receive the title of Sangita Kalanidhi (a big deal if you know what that is).
Now in Camada again I have to figure out how to make some money for myself. Always thinking a few months ahead. It is a weird way to live one's life. ZimbaMoto have a nice CBC gig coming up which will be recorded, Zhambai will have CD coming out by June (we hope) and will do a few gigs. Will try and set up a couple of shows with my large band and plan to work more with Kofi Gbolonyo (Ghanaian drummer/dancer) while I am here.
Live & Learn in Ghana won't happen this 2012, only got 4 people and needed 6. No big worry. Will give me a chance to stick around and grow some work in these parts. Speaking of which, I'll be offering a couple of one-off workshops in Ghanaian drumming in March. Deets on the side.
Nov.30, 2011
The Eve of India
In the midst of final packing for a 2 month journey tomorrow to India. Wedding on Dec.11 and then taking my parents and sis on a 2 week tour around Southern India. Have been a travel agent for the past week searching the best places to stay, booking flights, trains, cars...sheesh!! Will be good for them though. Spend 2 weeks in Chennai to see Guruji Trichy Sankaran play and see him receive a major award as well. Then off to Sri Lanka with Anu for snorkeling and adventure!!
Return to Vancouver on January 30th. Yeah..life is good I suppose.
Oct.25, 2011
Back from Belgium...what's next?
Full of broodjes, awesome chocolate, cheese and an amazing variety of (strong) beer. 3 weeks all over Belgium with Uzume Taiko....a grand time. Learned a lot, played a lot, ate a lot. Will perhaps return next Fall as well.
Now onto the future...a bunch of things coming down the pipe.
A couple of gigs with Sunshine Coast folky-jazzy-bluegrass group The Rakish Angles on Oct.28 and 29 and then I'm in Toronto for 2 weeks to visit some teachers and friends...and play a gig at Trane Studio on Nov.3. Then back to Vancouver for 2 weeks in mid-November to play some gigs with my ensemble, Zhambai and ZimbaMoto....and also do some recording with Zhambai.
No shortage of things to be at I spose.
And then on Dec.1 off to India for 2 months.
;-)
Sep.20, 2011
Residency is Over
It was great while it lasted but my residency with the City of Vancouver/Caravan World Rhythms and Vancouver Community College is just about over. Had a great time, taught some new students, made new friends and even better got a chance to make some new music...and pay people (including myself!) in the process. This Saturday will be a little display of some of that music and it promises to be something great, including a chance for me to finally play some mridangam in a decent setting, which is few and far between.
Joining me will be some great players including Colin Maskell, Kristian Naso, Dan Shook, Francois Houle, Jared Burrows, Graham Ellsworth, Bonnie Soon, Jason Overy, Rod Caballero, Norm Patterson and special guest Vidyasagar Vankayala.
And it is free!!!
August 29, 2011
Summer into Fall
Is Summer over? Is it dictated by the months only? September around the corner? The feeling in the air? The weather? My days kinda flow into one another..I don't notice weekends, holidays and such like most people. I can do basically anything I want, when I want (within reason). So really, weather define seasons for me. That said, August was super sunny here in BC!
Did a lot of cool things, taught a bunch of Ghanaian drum classes, been working with a new trio (Francois Houle, Jared Burrows) which is more focused on my S.Indian inspired compositions (with me playing mridangam). All of those things are part of residency at VCC (via City of Vancouver/Caravan World Rhythms), which will end in a few weeks and culiminate in a "recital" of sorts. Has been a very fruitful period and helped me a lot.
Lately I've been playing/creating with Uzume Taiko here in Vancouver. They are not a traditonal taiko ensemble by any means, but are perhaps one of the more exciting in the groundbreaking work that they do. We'll be doing a 3-week tour in Belgium in October so our noses are to the grindstone in preparation and creating the show. Sounds awesome so far!!
All this activity has made me more aware of how we live our lives (as artists at least) by planning for the future......constantly. I am everyday looking at my calendar, planning rehearsals, gigs, tours, grants and such....all weeks/months away. It seems very odd as our life is happening here and now. It would be nice if I could just live in that here and now and not have to do such planning and living in "the future". Well, I guess I could but it mean a radical lifestyle shift and less $$, which we all kind of need right.
But how much? And to what end?
Oh yeah! I made a website for Zhambai Trio...it is HERE
July 20, 2011
Married!!!
Yes people, I am now a husband to the wonderful Anuradha Rao.
After a brief courtship of 7 years or so we finally made it binding, spiritually (most important) and legally (not so important). Happened on July 10 in St. John's at the local Hindu Temple surrounded by lots of friends and family. A beautiful ceremony if I may say so, following ancient Vedic rites with a slight modern variation. And then a great little party in the evening with amazing food!!
While home I also had the chance to play a few gigs, watch some whales, re-connect with friends and overall had a an awesome time.
Now I'm back in Van City and ready to sink my teeth back into my teaching and residency and play some shows with Zimbamoto. Last night we had awesome show with Mbira dzeMuninga from Zimbabwe and will be heading to Komasket next weekend with Zhambai Trio to play this great little festival, from what I am told anyhow...I have never been there!
June 23, 2011
Present/Future
Things have been moving well. Settling back into Vancouver, rejoining my friends, playing a bit.
Last week's Ghanaian music workshop was great and another one tonight. If interested do contact me first.
Been playing with my good friends Pancho and Sal and various other good souls (Bocephus King, Navaro Franco, Robin Layne) at Chai Gallery and East is East. Check out these people if you get a chance. Music for the soul indeed.
Yesterday had an awesome meeting with Francois Houle and Jared Burrows who I'm forming a new trio with. This is made possible by the residecny I have at VCC which allows me the time, space and resources to meet weekly with these fellows and flesh out some new music. Some good things gonna come from this indeed.
And playing more Carnatic music lately in preparation for a young musician to make his debut as a singer. He is a student of the great local vocalist Vudyasagar Vankalya and the concert is this Saturday. For a youngster (13) he sings pretty well. I'll be in Vancouver for most of the summer except for 10 days in NL (where I'll get married). Hopefully I'll get a chance to leave the city a bit and enjoy the beauty that BC has to offer. Maybe hit Zimfest in August as well if possible.
June 6, 2011
A new resident
So as you can tell by looking left, I have been lucky to receive a "residency" at VCC (Vancouver Community College). This is made possible by the City of Vancouver (who funds the whole thing) and Caravan World Rhythms (who applied on my behalf).
Essentially I'll be getting paid to teach some workshops, give some lec-dems (with some guest artists) and have the time and space to work on some new music. It will end in September.
The most significant aspect for someone reading this is the workshops in Ghanaian music/dance that I'll be offering every Thursday night. Spread the word and come check it out yourself if you can.
June 1, 2011
Decompression
My God......4 months have passed just about. Idlers tour seems like such a long time ago. I just arrived back from Ghana a few hours ago. Amazing time as usual. Reconnecting with old friends and forging new relationships as well.
Learning....giving....receiving.
I had 7 people come from Canada as part of the Live & Learn in Ghana 2011 program and I can say with confidence that they all embraced it 100% and got 110% back. The food, climate, music, customs, belief systems.....they took it all with gusto.
And no one got sick!!
After they left I admit the village was kind of dull, but I didn't stick around long as I headed east to Benin for a week to get more of the music there which is always a nice challenge. Reconnected with the Zodji family and had my mind opened just a little more with brother Joel Gboja Zodji and the zinli rhythm.
Then spent the last week or so traveling to Tamale to see my northern family which is always nice since I coould not see them last year. Some of the nicest people anywhere are the Atindaana famly of Tamale.
And now, after small-small bribery at the airport in Ghana, I have arrived back in Vancouver safely with some new kpanlogo drums and a giant gourd from Benin.
Now.....where do I begin?
February 25, 2011
Back from India and on the road
Had an amazing time in India over the past two months. Wrote a great missive about it which is here in the travels section of the India page. Will add some pics to accompany as well soon.
Should have some time as I am on the road now with Idlers from NL. Started the tour in Canmore about 10 days ago and it has been a blast. Great shows, great crowds...and amazing snowboarding in Fernie. First time for me in 18 years (!!). Came back to me in a flash....as did a completely sore body the day after.
Idlers tour is just beginning and have a bunch of dates across the country so check us out if you can and visit Idlers.ca to hear some tunes.
December 31, 2010
Back in India
After 3 years away, I finally landed back in Chennai...haven for dosa and Carnatic music lovers. Arrived after a long journey at 4am, settled in and went to my guru Trichy Sankaran's house where we prepared for one of his concerts, a refreshing shower of music from Vijay Siva. Then back to guruji's house and then to have a night meal with he and his wife.
Quite a first day back....am a bit tired but getting into my groove a little bit now.
Am here until mid-February.
December 23, 2010
New album is here!!!
After several years sleeping on my computer, a duet album from trumpeter extrordinare Patrick Boyleand myself is out!!!
The album, entitled Rock Music and is a series of duet improvisations between the two of us. Featuring trumpet, flugelhorn, gajda (Croation bagpipe), bass, African drums, bells, cymbals, mechanical birds, congas, drumset, water drums and more.
Out of the 20 tracks (57mins), there is at least one piece that anybody on Earth will enjoy...I guarantee.
Maybe it will be the funky "Boswarlos", the pensive "Trepassy" or the frenetic "Come By Chance"?
Perhaps the water drums of "Quirpon" will tickle your fancy, the floating quality of "Flat Rock" or Pat's trumpet-beatboxing on "Spread Eagle"?
The music was inspired by or named after various unique place names in Newfoundland & Labrador..in some abstract way.
Music suitable for dancing, quiet listening, freaking out, driving, star gazing, and more.
You can buy it from Fred's Records in St. John's and it will be on iTunes shortly.
November 15, 2010
Dzogadze in the news and the rest of 2010
The whole Dzogadze foundation project has been featured in some national press recently. Check out the links here from a Newfoundland newspaper and from Radio Canada International (do a search for Curtis Andrews and the page will show).
In other news, I have bunch of local Vancouver gigs coming up (check to the left for deets) and will spending a good 18 days in Newfoundand over Xmas and play some gigs too.
Off to India from Dec.28-Feb.22!!
October 30, 2010
!!!!!!
I'm getting married!
India, Dec 2011....more to come...all are welcome if you can make it!
August 17, 2010
Updates and more
I finally got around to updating some sections of this website. Some new videos and pics have been finally put up in the Benin, Japan and galleries. Visit the galleries and check them out..esp the vids on the Benin page. Have also put up some new pics on the Dzogadze page relating to the foundation and the latest work we have been doing. Check that here.
Speaking of which, I'll outline a bit of those activities for y'all.
1. Purchased hundreds of geometry sets, pencils, exercise books and school uniforms
- To help ease the economic burden of individual students (and their families), we periodically purchase certain consumables for groups of students of different grades.
2. Purchased drawing boards to be kept as property of the school
- A drawing board is a certain piece of wood (kind of like a drafting board with a T-Square and such) used in some courses that are part of the curriculum. Instead of buying them for each student, the school owns these and lets students use them and return them.
3. Electrification of primary block and JSS block
- The village received electricity in 2009. Thus, it was decided to add lights and electrical sockets to a number of the rooms in the school complex.
4. Computer room creation/renovation
- Students in Ghana learn about computers/information technology but many schools have no computers. This village is such a case. Many students have never even seen or touched a computer yet are instructed to learn about them. 4 computers were procured from various sources and were brought to the village in April. With these in hand, a room in the JSS compound was renovated, fortified and has now become a computer lab! No internet connection or anything, but these systems will help kids get a little more familiar with computers and their basic functioning.
5. Mosquito Nets
- 100 mosquito nets were purchased and handed over to pregnant women, nursing mothers and families with small children in the village.
6. Water reservoir project
- For several years, however, the village has been petitioning the local government to help build a water reservoir in the town. This would provide a secure, abundant and safe means of water supply, and also one that is considerably more convenient and less stressful on each household. At present, a household must send several family members to the water pump with numerous water pans, wait in line, fill said pans and then transport them to their house (which may be quite far from the pump at times). A water reservoir system in the town, besides securing clean and safe water, also means an updated distribution system with pipes running to several taps throughout the town. And if people can afford it, they can choose to have the pipes come directly into their house. - The local government is currently building this water reservoir. It is near completion and $700 of Foundation money was put towards it.
So as you can see, a few thousand dollars can go a long way.
And here are some recent pics as well.....
Kids checking out the new computer room for the first time.
Distribution of geometry sets, pencils, exercise books.
The water reservoir project under way.
July 6, 2010
Sound Symposium
The 15th annual Sound Symposium is under way. It is amazing. If you do not check any of it out, your life will be less beautiful than it could be. Visit www.soundsymposium.com and choose something....anything.
And if anyone wants an mbira lesson with Kurai just drop me a line. And if you want any lessons with me, do the same..I am here in St. John's until Aug.2
June 21, 2010
I'm back!! (sorry for neglecting you website)
Well, seems like I forgot I had a website since I got back from Ghana a few weeks ago. The two months were amazing and intense...major learning experience. The Live & Learn Tour was a great success and I am very eager to do it again next April, with newfound knowledge and experience. The people who came all had life-enriching and life-changing experiences, I'll post some of their words soon and post pics too (though I lost all of mine!!).
My own time spent studying in Benin was extremely eye-opening and mind-expanding. I felt like a child of rhythm at times learning a rhythm called zinli. Do a search on it try and find the one...any one. Will post some vids soon on that as well as photos from the whole trip.
As for now, I'm slowly settling back into Canadian life. Soon after arriving I was hi-jacked by The Idlersand went on a 8 day tour of B.C. which was in a word......awesome. Great crowds and amazing scenery...Tofino blew my mind. What a beach. In 10 days I will be off to The Rock for the whole month of July to play a wack of shows and will bring Kurai Mubaiwa with me...gonna be good times. And a plethora of other awesome musical activities are also planned on The Rock, my own group, Idlers action, Dzolali...keep watching my listings.
But before I leave for NL, I get a chance to play my own music with some great musicians here in Vancouver!!!...see the listings for more deets.
Mar.12, 2010
Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like...
Bananas!!! Wow....how did that happen? Been two months since I posted any "news". Maybe it is because I have had lots of news!
Have started a great new trio with Kurai Mubaiwa, a highly talented mbira/marimba (and several other instruments) player from Zimbabwe. The trio is called "Zhambai" (which means "scream" in Shona) and is composed of myself, Kurai and a great percussionist/dancer named Navaro Franco. We play straight-up traditional and some contemporary music on mbira, marimba and hosho. Very "trancy" and fulfilling. Check us out sometime.
Olympics have come and gone...I am relatively unscathed. Got a few gigs out of it though which was okay. Other than that I just read the headlines and stayed away from the crowds.
Gee, what else? The Ghana trip is full with 10 confirmed people...it's gonna be awesome. My visa is now being processed and preparations are being made on the ground over there. I was also lucky to get a grant from the Canada Council for the Arts to fund the study protion of my trip. I'll hang in Ghana for awhile and then spend some time in mysterious Benin, going deeper into that musical culture.
My jazz ensemble is slowly coming together as well (rehearsing is proving harder than I thought) and I have a few gigs planned for June when I come back from Ghana.
July will be spent back in NL...best time to be there....a Sound Symposium year!!!
Stay tuned....
Jan.18, 2010
A new year...a new page
Twenty-Ten....has a nice ring to it. Am looking forward to what it will bring as I have a good feeling about it. Happy New Year/Decade to you reading this!
Been back in BC for just over a week now and am getting some things on the move. One major thing is a series of workshops I have been taking with a visiting master Korean drummer named Kim Dong-won. This music is super funky and invigorating...shamanic ritual music in fact and it is interestingly, mostly in a 5-beat cycle..very cool.
Will try my hand at some workshops of my own at the end of the month. Depending on the response I may try for regular episodes....not enough Ghanaian music in these parts. As elsewhere, the djembe dominates...gotta bring some balance to the scene if you know what I mean.
And slowly, I am finally getting the Japan section of this site on the go. Check it out the Japan page for a taste. More to come.
Dec.26, 2009
Another award!!
Last week I was selected as the winner of the 2009 Atlantis Music Prize!! This award is patterned on the Canada-wide Polaris Music Prize , and is given annually to the best full-length album from Newfoundland and Labrador, judged solely on artistic merit, without regard to genre or record sales.
An independent panel of 40 journalists, musicians, and people recognized for their knowledge and appreciation of local music submitted their top picks for the best album released between November 1, 2008 and October 31, 2009.
Details about the whole thing are here at The Scope magazine website. The Scope is an awesome local arts/politics/life magazine that is doing much to promote community and communication about what goes in St. John's and Newfoundland as a whole. They sponsored the Atlantis prize.
Dec.17, 2009
Some new reviews
A couple of new reviews of my album from Wholenote Magazine (Toronto informative music mag) and Percussive Notes (journal of the Percussive Arts Society).
Dec.08, 2009
A slew of December gigs
I'm back in Newfoundland from Dec.10 to Jan.8 and playing a bunch of different gigs which I am very excited about.
Not the least of which is a show with my group, my brother Duane's group and then Duane and I joining forces for a set with our good friend Patrick Boyle.
I'll also be holding a couple of fundraisers for the worthy Dzogadze Education Development Fund, which if you do not know about you can go here to find out more.
Details about all the gigs can be found here.
In other news, I just played an awesome show this past Sunday with a great band called Zimbamotofronted by my friend Kurai Mubaiwa from Zimbabwe. We tore up the stage as we opened up for the amazing singer from Zim named Chiwoniso.
Good times had by all.
Another interesting note is that a little video I was in is getting spread around the interweb. A group called Foreign Policy Camp made the whole thing and it is quite interesting. The group itself has a mandate to stimulate debate, connectivity, change and thought about the way Canada and the world relates to each other. For this video, they had various people in different parts of the world give a line about what they think Canada needs to change about itself.
I was in Japan when I did mine (via Skype!)
Dec.7, 2009
ECMA awards nomination!!
A few days ago it was announced that I am up for an ECMA (East Coast Music Association) award. My record is up for "Instrumental Album of the Year". The awards happen in March sometime.
We'll see what happens. For now, I'll forget about it unless something happens.
For more info go here.
Nov.17, 2009
Awards!!??
Well it seems somebody out there likes me. I have been given "Male Artist of the Year" and "Instrumental Album of the Year" by MusicNL!!!
This past weekend MusicNL (the music industry association of Newfoundland/Labrador) had their annual gala award show/"pat each other on the back" night. It is usually a good place to see friends and drink a few beers. I don't usually partake in much industry dealings but I figured since my record was funded by MusicNL I should particpate and put myself on the ballot. Looks like it was a good idea as I won 2 out of 3 awards I was nominated for. Thanks to all who made it possible.
So what does this mean?....... I dunno.
In wider reaching news a track of mine has been has been included in a very worthwhile project called Tia Anita. It is spearheaded by a friend, Anne Stadlmair, who I went to university with at York U in Toronto. "The organization's mandate is to foster an awareness of grass-roots initiatives assisting orphans affected by aids - primarily in africa - while promoting a wide range of canadian music talent from the folk tradition to world music".
One of my tracks, "Olive Ridley's Lament" was included in their latest fundraising CD entitled "Harambee". For more info check it out by clicking here. Very cool.
Also, I'll be playing a cool gig on Dec.6 with Zimbamoto, a Zimbabwean group fronted by my good friend Kurai Blessing Mubaiwa. We'll be opening for fiery Zimbabwean singer Chiwoniso when she comes to Vancouver. For more info visit Caravan World Rhythms.
Nov.13, 2009
Back from Japan
Wow. What to say about this past little trip to Japan with The Discounts. We went all over Japan, played for a bunch of different crowds, saw some amazing places, ate some even more ineteresting food and took some great pics too. Not sure when I'll go back but if I can I will.
September 21, 2009
The present, the future, new pics/vids and a new page
Life in Vancouver, BC is treating me well. Me and Anu have been here for just over 3 months now and I’m getting a feel for the place. Making lots of friends as well and recognizing faces in different places that I venture…..which is nice.
My musical life here is of course different, but that is partially because my goal is not to be exactly what I was back in NL.
I have met a talented mbira player from Zimbabwe who I get along with nicely and we are planning some things. Also made a great connection with a gifted South Indian vocalist which has been a great experience. I have also found a great Ghanaian dancer who lives here and am slowly re-incarnating my drum/dance ensemble (Dzolali) on this coast.
The only thing I wish to make come alive is a group to perform my own music. But since I’m picky about who I play that music with, it is taking longer than I had hoped and (as I have been warned) people here seem to respond to your queries, shall I say, in a relaxed fashion.
Upcoming:
1) in Newfoundland from Oct.7-19 to play some shows on Oct.9, 15,16,17th.
2) From Oct.21-Nov.2 I’ll be heading to Japan with The Discounts.
Believe it….NL arts funding in effect!!!
3) Idlers will be releasing our much anticipated (and awesome sounding) new record in November 2009. YIS!!
Some new videos and pics have been finally put up in the Ghana, Benin and India galleries and more are on the way when I get around to it...takes more time than one thinks. I have spent hours re-sizing, uploading and coding.....need to get away from this screen!!
Ledzi just sent me some pics from Dzogadze of the primary school block in use. A little blurry but good all the same. Here are three of them...more to come.
I have also put a new section on this site about my teachers.
June 19, 2009
MOVED TO VANCOUVER!!!
Yup.....I did it.
Arrived on the night of the 15th and am starting to get a handle on the place....having a bike helps...and a map. I'll be fat and broke soon because there are so many awesome restaurants, the rent is crazy expensive and I'm living off savings with no immediate work prospects..must find work. Meeting some musicians and networking a bit to get the lowdown but it will take time to get busy anywhere near what I was in St. John's.
On the hunt for a house as well. If you know anything let me know.
Feeling good to be here though....the future is wide open. Lots of things happening, I think I can find a place for myself with some time....main goal is find musicians to form a group with to play my music, maybe teach a bit as well as there are no mridangam players here or many people playing anything South Indian from what I can gather.....little to no Ghanaian music either. And mountains..... If you are reading this and are in Van City drop me a line.
curtisandrews(at)gmail.com
I would be lying though if I said I did not miss Newfoundland right now ;-)
May 25, 2009
UPCOMING SHOW
The Offering of Curtis Andrews
(playing world jazz niceness ;-)
Thursday, June 4th
Petro Canada Hall, MUN School of Music
8pm showtime
$10/PWYC
Tickets at the door.
Limited seating.
Curtis Andrews: drums, mrdangam, mbira
Bill Brennan: vibes/piano
Terry Campbell: trumpet
Chris Harnett: saxes
Brad Jefford: guitar
Rob Power: vibes/percussion
Josh Ward: bass
We'll be playing 1 long set of tunes from my album as well as a new composition I wrote for my good friend Kobla Adukpo in Ghana. Also be playing my arrangement of a traditional Zimbabwean mbira tune.
Do come by and grace us all with your attentive ears and clapping hands.
I'll be playing on June 12/13 with The Idlers at The Ship as well....but that will be a late night affair of course.
There is also a potential jazz gig this Friday (May 29) at The Rose and Thistle with the Brad Jefford Trio. But as of writing this, that has not been confirmed.
Further, may also play a set of improvised jazz with Grant King(guitar) and Dave Bridger(bass) on CHMR (93.5FM), live in the studio, this Thursday(May 27) from 9-11. A show called The New Spin hosted by Dashiell Brown.
All for now....please spread the word about June 4th whichever way you can...internet, telephone, telepathy, pigeon.
May 16, 2009
BACK IN NEWFOUNDLAND
Greetings one and all,
Just a short note (that is a change!!!) to let you all know that I have reached Canada safely and am now residing back in St. John's, Newfoundland for the next month.
My last few days in Ghana were very fulfilling and I was lucky enough to discover some wonderful things, some of which I have attached in picture form.
Spent just a coupla days in Toronto and could not could not see or contact everyone that I know and then went to The Rock.
I'll be in St. John's until early June when I move to BC for awhile...still looking for a place to live there.....and any kind of gig. So if you are in the know, let me know.
March 25, 2009
"ENGAGING, UPLIFTING AND WARMLY HUMAN"
Exclaim Magazine have a nice review of my new album in their new issue - read it here.
NEW LETTER AND PHOTOS FROM GHANA
I posted new photos from my trip to Ghana, where I currently am. The Dzogadze school is open and I have travelled there for the opening.
Click here for the letter and pictures
February 19, 2009
DZOGADZE SCHOOL IS BUILT!
I got the call two weeks ago from Ledzi saying that they have finished. Thanks to everyone who helped with the fundraising over the past two years. There some pics in the Dzogadze gallery and I will be adding more in the near future. Tax-receipts are in process!!!
Also, I will be returning to Ghana on Feb.23 and returning in May. I plan to spend more time in the Volta and also visit Togo and Benin. Keep watching this space as I will have fresh pics of the school and other things I come across while there.
February 17, 2009
SHOW MOVED TO SATURDAY
The performance scheduled for Wednesday, February 18th had to be moved to Saturday, February 21st. All times and other details remain the same:
Here is a chance to hear a set from the recently released album of Curtis Andrews and a set by Dzolali who will be playing traditional music from Ghana and Zimbabwe. There will also be some collaboration between the two groups and a chance for you to dance as well!!
Sadly, this will be the last time for awhile to hear any music like this (and there is no other in the city) as Curtis will be back in Ghana from Feb.23 until May.
Tickets at Fred's Records, Living Planet and Johnny Ruth...
$15...general admission
$10...students/seniors/under-employed
$5....kids/unemployed
Bring yourself and a friend.
This is event is all ages
Album News
My album is not even released yet but is on a Top 5 list from Jazziz magazine. Click here to vote and make it #1 (which just means a bit more publicity).
March 6, 2021
It. Is. Done.
The new album is ready! I can't ask for more. Here is a link to the Bandcamp pre-order site:
It sounds and looks great. After almost a year of working on it in various capacities I will release it on April 2. Bandcamp will be the main avenue. Will put a tune on Spotify every few weeks, but this is purely an experiment in feeding the algorthm of the machines and seeing what happens on that front.
I also have a couple of sweet, sweet videos made to accompany two tracks that I'll unleash at some point.
Major thanks to the Canada Council for the Arts, BC Arts Council and Creative BC for funding the album.
And also working on a new website which I hope to have up before the album drops. I'll miss this one, which Jud Haynes did a mgnificiant job in creating, but wth a new album comes a new look. Might not have all the travel pictures and writings, keep it a bit simple....
Despite the ravages of the pandemic on music performance, I was lucky to participate in a production at the Chan Centre featuring a cast of talented South Asian artists in a concert called Parashakti: The Flame Within. It explores various manifestions of of the mother goddess via music and dance of North/South India. It will be released as a recorded livestream on March 19. See details on the left. Also did a similar (but shorter) project with another local bharatanatyam dancer named Ashvini Sundaram which willl be coming online in the near future as well.
Have begun rehearsals with the Fragrances & Spices project, which festures myself and 7 other talented musicians from Persian, Chinese, Jazz, and South Indian backgrounds. We are creating and re-arranging works for this group and will be giving our first concert (for online release) in late May.
Finally, I can report that I have joined Instagram! Look for @theecurtisandrews
January 19, 2021
Change is in the Air
What a time. No need to update this website as of the lst few months. My life has been somewhat rooutine: awake, eat, play with with daughter, audio editing, pick up daughter from school, more play, make supper, more play, put daughter to bed, more audio editing, sleep. In a nutshell anyhow. There has been more to life oviously, but nothing worth reporting to the world. I did get a nice couple of books from my wife for Xmas though, by author Octavia E. Butler, The Parables of the Sower/Talents. Amazing writer, dark tales. Need to find more. One of the themes of these books is the nature of change, and the inevitablity of it.
You can't fight it, only shape it.
Which brings me to the current state of affairs. COVID has sucked the life out of any kind of performing arts for the most part. That said, I am involved in a couple of upcoming projects that will be recorded for a "livestream", both of which centre around bharatanatyam. Both will be recorded in late February and involve some super artists.
Am also getting the ball rolling on a major collaborative project that features Lan Tung, Jonathan Bernard, Dai Lin Hseih, Amir Eslami, Vidyasagar Vankayala, Kaushik Sivaramakrishnan, and Jared Burrows. A great cross-section of South Indian, Chinese, Persian and a touch of jazz. Big thanks to the Canada Council and BC Arts Council for supporting this. We plan to give some concerts in November, if the COVID situation changes.
I'd be remiss not to mention that I was in Ghana for 2 intense weeks in mid-November. It was another world. Life is basically back to normal for the most part, in the rural areas especially. Hugging, shaking hands, dancing, music, sharing food, etc. No fear of each other. It was a nice break from what we have here in Canada. You may wonder how is this possible? Yes, COVID is there, but for reasons I cannot explain, it has not ravaged the population or crippled the healthcare infrastructure. Was hard to do the 2-week quarantine upon arrival back in Vancouver, especially not being to hug my family, but we got through it. Oh yeah, I lost my new phone while there too, bit of a drag. Still have to pay Fido every month for it.
:-/
But I did get some great information for my postdoc project related to the transmission of oral culture in Dzogadze. Just need to get some extra funding to actually enact some of the ideas we (the community and I) have generated.
This may be one of the last updates that you will read on this particular incarnation of my website. Am planning on creating a new site to coincide with my new album release and finally get away from having to use HTML to update this thing!
Speaking of which, album will be released in early March. Parts of it being mixed now. Sounds awesome. Some tasty videos being created as well...stay tuned.
August 17, 2020
A Grand Excercise in Improvisation (ie: life)
Well then. Quite a difference a few months make. I've not been updating this little part of my website recently, since the COVID-19 sucked up all the air in the world. Music as we know it is almost non-existent. Starnge times. Unprecedented and all that. Looking back at what I wrote in March , before the pandemic really took over, things havenot changed all that much. I'm still doing the same things, only that teh future is even more uncertain then in "normal" times.
I won't waste too much time talking about COVID and what I've been doing, what it means for me as a musician and academic and all that. All I can say is that I've been enjoying myself, am lucky to be in Canada, and will continue with the projects I've been focusing upon. Foremost of which would be my new album, I've done more recording, and LOTS of editing. It's sounding good. Am looking for some visual artsits to do some video accompaniments to some of the tunes. Hoping for an October release perhaps.
No travels as far as I can see so no trip to Ghana this November, but have been enjoying the amzaing beauty that BC holds. And oddly, have a series of gigs in the coming days. This will be odd.
Whoever you are reading this, especially if you are a musician...don't worry too much. If you are an artist you've been bred to tackle problems and live day-to-day, gig-to-gig. While there are fewer gigs, we all have to be a bit more creative and hope the greater society sees the value that we bring and support us in whichver way is possible.
No condition is permanent.
March 11, 2020
Stability
I had a good feeling about this year. And despite the obession and (in my opinion) excessive fear about the current coronavirus, things are looking up (for me anyhow). About to go into the studio in a couple of weeks and the band is getting ready. But a couple of days ago I received the news that my SSHRC postdoctoral application was successful! So for the next two years I'll have a steady paycheck, will be travelling to Ghana a few more times for the research, and can stay in Vancouver (despite the postdoc being connected to the University of Alberta). The project is focused around identifying and addressing issues surrounding the transmission of oral culture, specifically music and dance, in the community of Dzogadze. A mjor component will be community-based collaboration in figuring such things out.
Besides trying to finish some new compositions, I'm trying to get myself back in shape and trying to practice mridangam daily, something I've been delinquent about for too long. I should be much better than I am and am at this point in the game, and am taking baby steps to elevate myself beyond the plateau I've been on for far too long. It's all about discipline and regularity...a little bit each day is better than a lot once a week.
January 12, 2020
The Vision is Clear For This Year
As a number, 2020 vibrates well, symmetrical and divisible. Numerologists probably like it. I have a good feeling for the year personally as it will bring a lot of developments and changes in my own life which I look forward to (post-PhD existence, a new album and other creative pursuits). As I write this I'm in the Vancouver airport en route to the Banff Centre to finalise (and begin) some musical ideas for the album. This will be the first time I've had such a dedicated and uninterrupted time devoted to such things, am feeling good about what will come out of it. Will be sure to take in the awesome Banff hotsprings as well, they are outside and have grand snowy mountain vistas.
Just returned from 4 weeks away though, back to NL and then in Ottawa. One of the highlights in NL was playing a gig with my group there and re-connecting with the wondeful Dani Oore who I last met and played with back in about 2005(!). Great connection ensued and will do some more playing with him this year. Stay tuned.....
In the more immediate future, the next gig I have with dancers Sujit Vaidya and Arun Mathai. We've been working on a contemporay expression of bharatanatyam for a couple of years now called Off-Centre. Among other things, it will be remarkable contrast between the chiseled and smooth torsos of those guys with my own hirsute and less-lean figure...:-P
December 3, 2019
Ok, Now It Is REALLY Done
Funny robes. Nice hat. Rehearsed speeches. Some cake and champagne. Illegally expensive photo packages. A few butterflies in the stomach as I took the stage. A feeling of accomplishment.
Yes folks, I finally graduated!
6 years in the making, on Nov.29 I was the first in line to take the stage and be "hooded" by Santa (Ono, President of UBC).
If anyone is interested in my 15 seconds on the stage at UBC, you can view the clip HERE.
All of this was preceded by some aforemtioned travels to Ghana. That was an intense and interesting time. One of my best friends Vodzi Torgboh wa actually in Canada while I was staying in his house, kinda bizzare to not have him around. But I managed fine enough and did most of the things I set out to do - record some Torgbui Apetorku songs for a new release, complete video interviews for an upcoming mini-doc on vodu, and had the idea to record some local drummer friends to perhaps include in the new album I'm making (more later). I was ready to go to Benin but had a bout of malaria (first time in 17 years!) in the last few days of my stay and had to just rest on the bed and watch a LOT of movies.
While I am waiting on the results of a post-doctoral application (late Feb), I'm focusing on the creation of my new album. I had an AmplifyBC grant to start this and am applying for some Canada Council money to augment to project. Looking to start tracking in February and will feature some amazing collaborators/guests including Trichy Sankaran, Kaushik Sivaramakrishnan, Vodzi Torgboh, and the aforementioned drummers of Dzogadze, in addition to the regular members of the group based in Vancouver. Leading up to this I'll spend about 16 days at the Banff Centre to solidify the repertoire and focus on maybe creating some new pieces.
But most immediately will be a local gig here in Vancouver with the ensemble featuring Vodzi as a special guest. Then off to the Rock where I'll play with the crew down there and include Florian Hoefner on keys which should be a treat.
October 10, 2019
Way Down South, About to Go North West, Feeling Up Overall
It is done.
I passed my PhD oral defence with what I could call flying colours. I don't think it could have gone any better. Great feedback from all involved and a stunning assessment of my dissertation from my External Examiner, Dr. Kofi Agawu, who wields a mighty pen in the world of African music scholarship. I'm in the process of submitting my finished and fully approved dissertation to the university, which will essentially serve as the final step in this six-year journey.
I guess the question now is "Now what?"
Post-doc!! After I submitted my thesis for external review I had a number of weeks in which I had nothing much to do academically and felt some sense of relief, but also a sense of emptiness, or a sort of anti-climax. Very odd. Out of panic and to avoid having to wait another year before the deadline rolled around, I submitted a post-doc application. It will allow me to remain in Vancouver as well. Will find out results in Feb/Mar 2020.
Immediately after my defence I flew to Cape Town, South Africa, a place I have not visited since 2005. An amazingly complex, beautiful, and f'ed up city. Well, the country is like that overall I suppose, given the socio-political history and extreme imbalance of resources and opportunity that will take several generations to even start balancing. Anyhow, I'm here with Anu and Leela, visiting some friends that I have not seen in 14 years and making some new ones too, including Mapumba, a superb vocalist and guitarist from DRC via Zambia but based here for the past 20 years. I'll be playing an impromptu gig with him and a singer as well.
Also had a chance to reconnect with the amazing Dizu Plaatjies, a performer, scholar, and supporter of all things traditionally African, especially the various musical bows played in this region. We spent an hour or so with him and he played the uhadi, umrubhe and a special overtone flute for us and mesmerized Leela. Have got to find a way to get him to Vancouver! Such a warm human being and doing great work to support these instruments and the people who play them (traditionally for women only actually).
After this I’ll fly to Ghana for 3 intense weeks. I plan to get footage for a mini-documentary on vodu as explained through interviews with some priests, and also do some recording of more Tɔgbui Aƒetɔkusongs. Planning on visiting some other shrines, including the town where I think Tɔgbui Aƒetɔku may have originated in Benin (near Togo border). I may take the chance to visit Agbomey again, after a 4 years absence and see what my friend/teacher Joel Gboja Zodji and the family are doing. I’ll also catch the Atsyiame Clan Festival and the Tɔgbui Aƒetɔku mid-year Talulu festival. Plus visiting numerous friends all around the Volta Region. Will be intense!
And to finish, the main goal right now is finding some funds to record a new album. I’ll be going to the Banff Centre in January for a 2-3 week solo residency to work on collating a bunch of ideas into some new compositions. Hope to record in the late Winter and have this record out by summer or so. It’s been long enough…but hey, what’s the rush anyhow? Stay tuned for a fundraiser campaign!
August 22, 2019
The End is Very Nigh
PhD Defence:
Friday, September 20, 2019
9:00 AM
Room 203
Graduate Student Centre (6371 Crescent Road).
University of British Columbia (vancouver campus)
All are welcome.
August 2, 2019
Now I wait...
Been silent here. I just sent my dissertation to my external examiner. Now I wait....and try not to look at computer unless I need to.
May 13, 2019
21 Years Later....
I first went to Ghana in 1998 to spend 2 months in the village of Dagbamete. I still go there. During that trip I was taken to a related village called Dzogadze where I was blown away by the vivacity of their musical traditions, especially the ancestral war dance known as Atsiagbekor. Little did I know that 21 years later I would be hosting a member of that community in my house.
I'm happy to say that Vodzi "Oliver" Torgboh arrived just over 10 days ago and is with me and my family until June 13. In all of my time and travels in West Africa, Vodzi is one of the most talented fellows I have met with a deep understanding and knowledge of Ewe traditional music, dance, and culture. I've learned a lot from him over the years and am proud to show him off to the people of Vancouver.
Beyond a number of workshops that he will be leading, the main event will be a concert on May 31 with Adanu Habobo. Tickets are on sale now. Get yours before they are gone!
April 17, 2019
Homage to the Genius of Carnatic Music
Around this time of year, lovers of Carnatic music around the world pay tribute to one of the most important figures in South Indian culture...the saint composer/poet Sri Thyagaraja. His compositions, which number about 700 are the bread and butter of most every Carnatic musician. To get a sense of Thyagaraja's depth, visit these two blogs lyrical-thyagaraja.blogspot.com and thyagaraja-vaibhavam.blogspot.com. Spend a few hours and of course, listen to the songs themselves. Your life will be richer for it.
In my neck of the woods some friends and I will be paying homage in our own way with a rendition of the Pancharatna kritis in the morning plus individual rendtions of various kritis by various people, young and old, throughout the day. It will be a full day affair, there will be lunch AND dinner provided and lots of music.
March 13, 2019
One Quarter Already
As always, time keeps moving....or we keep growing? Something keeps changing anyhow. I'm starting to feel something big on the horizon, maybe it is the impending completion of this PhD (looking at mid-June to submit 1st draft, November graduation!!!), maybe it is something else. Some fantatsic news that I can only allude to regarding an old friend who will finally be able to visit me in Canada. It will be the beginning of something that niether of us know what shape it will take but the potential is huge. Very excited to see what we can come up with and who we can connect with.
Had some negative news about a grant to get $$$ to record a new album. It seems MusicBC/AmplifyBC is giving more weight to Instagram/FB/SoundCloud numbers than to musical merit. Musical examples were an option but not necessary for a recent grant to receive money to make an album. WTF?!?! But I have other irons in the fire, and if all else fails...crowdfunding!!! I have yet to use that card for my own musical projects so this might the year for it.
Stay tuned.
January 24, 2019
The Newness of New
Not so new as of the time or writing, but that's all relative I guess.
Happy new year to those visiting for the first time in 2019. I ended 2018 and began 2019 in a wonderful way, from Dec.11 until Jan.12 I was in India with my family. Seeing India through the eyes of my 3yr-old daughter was a wonderful blessing, SHE is a wonderful blessing. We were mostly visiting my wife's family in Bengaluru, Chennai, and Mumbai, but also got a chance to spend a wonderful few days on the banks of the Kaveri River near Srirangapatna (Mysore area) and also a few days at an awesomely quiet intentional organic farm community about 2 hours outside of Bengaluru. Also played a cool little house concert with some great musicians in Bengaluru and had some mridangams repaired. Very fulfilling overall. After India we stopped in Hong Kong to visit some friends for a few days. Luckily they lived about 40 mins outside the city and their backyard was essentially a jungle of sorts!! (Sai Kung if you are wondering).
Am now settled back into North American life again and trying to dig into the dissertation. Looking at a Fall graduation now (moveable deadlines...a blessing and a curse). Just gotta keep on keepin' on with the writing.
Am also trying to secure some funds to actually record a new album this year as well, in tandem with finishing the dissertation. It can be done though, by the time I get around to recording most writing will be completed. The little tatse of recording I did with my group and my guru Trichy Sankaran back in September really whetted my appetite to get some new music out there.
Excited to make this come to fruition...and if all funding gods deny me...crowdfunding to the rescue!!!!
Dec.3, 2018
Writing, Writing, Writing
That's all I've been at really since the big show with Trichy Sankaran. No playing at all, and I see the effect it has on me. Prone to depression. I thought I would reduce the amount of music to focus on the PhD writing but I see this has a negative side-effect. Guess the new year will have more music in that case!!
Before then, I'll be away in India from Dec.9-Jan.14. Mostly in and around the south (Bangalore, Chennai, Mumbai, Mysore). Mostly going for social/family visits but will take in some concerts in Chennai with my guru. Also doing an informal house concert in Bangalore.
And mridangam repairs, must take advantage of the opportunity!
Sep.30, 2018
Basking in the Aftermath
I just spent 10 full days with my guru, almost every waking hour, in a combination of rehearsals, performances, lunch, dinner, and travel. It was an honour. The concert we did on Sep.22 was a success on all accounts, especially musically. The new piece he composed pushed the group to some new levels, and just being around the master has elevated all of our musical prowess. A recording session allowed us to document some of this magic and I hope to release it sometime next year (after the PhD!!!). If you are reading this, I hope you were one of the lucky ones to attend the show. If not, some video may be posted later...stay tuned! And here is a review.
And a couple of pics by Diane Smithers.
August 10, 2018
A New Video and Something Special On The Horizon
When you have a vision for something, sometimes things work out to enable you to realize that vision. Case in point, an upcoming concert on Sep.22 with my guru Sri Trichy Sankaran. I've been his student for almost 20 years, which is crazy to think about. But it was only last year I had the idea to try and invite him to Vancouver to play with one of my groups, performing his music, my music, Carnatic music repertoire, and to get him to compose a piece especially for this project. Well, the funding gods looked favourably upon me and the Canada Council, BC Arts Council, City of Vancouver, and SOCAN Foundation all agreed to support the project.
Make it if you can....
Oh my, and I'd be silly not to mention a new video that I've put on Youtube, featuring some of the musicians that will be in the above concert. The tune is "The Shapeshifter", one of my older pieces but not yet recorded (maybe next year?). Have a look and share if you like it.
July 9, 2018
1000 Years of Tradition In Our Midst
Attended a workshop with a troupe of kutiyattam artists from Kerala yesterday. Amazing to say the least. The expressiveness of the artists/actors/dancers in communicating thoughts, words, sentences, ideas, impressions using gesture and facial expressions was almost otherworldly. And the music! I've seen the mizhavu drum on the internet only. To hear them accompanying the actors (though on the practice drums) was a lesson in expressive drumming. Every action was accentuated by the various timbres the drummers would bring out from a tiny 6 inch skin of calf over wood. The full performance (with make-up and the full size mizhavu) is tonight and I will BE there!
Artforms like this have struck me since I first tasted them in Indian in 2003, namely kathakali, which is a child of sorts of kuttiyattam. We are belssed to have this kind of troupe here. They are called Nepathya and are coming all the way from Kerala direct. A HUGE thanks to the Indian Summer Festival and the World Sanskrit Conference for making this possible.
Some of my gigs over the next while, some travel too. Tarab will be returning which is always a treat, to be around Hazem Matar and play music with him. Will be traveling a bit in late July and August, inlcuding a visit back to Newfoundland from July 23-Aug.8 and then Ottawa from Aug.27-Sep.3. Other than that, chipping away at the diss, enjoying life with the family around BC (just had an awesome little jaunt up to Smithers and back for the MidSummer Music Festival), and trying to balance it all out.
June 3, 2018
Summer?
June already!
Some gigs over the next while, some travel too. But still trying to focus on the diss. Bit by bit. Will be heading back to NL in late July. Not much time for writing here!
April 22, 2018
Head Down
Well, nearly 3 months after my last post here and nearly none of my dissertation writing goals have been met. But I can't let that get me down or off-track. It's taking its own course, but I have to continually be on top of where it is (or is not) going. And always remind myself that it WILL get done.
In non-PhD news, I've been busy over the past few months. Did a very cool project with Sujit Vaidya that saw us create some contemporary bharatanatyam material and perform it for a cpative audience. More to work on there for sure, maybe somethig in June on that. Submitted a few grants for a project I'm very excited about in the Fall. I'll be inviting my guru Sri Trichy Sankaran to Vancouver for about 10 days to work with my ensemble and some local Carnatic musicians to create a concert to be held on Sep.22. Some workshops will also be included and maybe a trip to Victoria. It's all still falling into place. But it will for sure happen as the Canada Council gods were favorable to me this time around...the biggest individual project grant I've ever received.
Zimbamoto is trying to stay busy. Some local gigs coming up and a little bit of travel too, but no major tours. The whole experience of going to Mundial Montreal was an eye-opener for sure, especially in terms of how this industry (world music/folk/roots etc is very small and most all festival programmers, booking agents, managers, etc know each other and their artists. Very hard to break into the inner circle, that's for sure. Upcomgin we'll be at the Vancouver World Music Festival, which should be a great time...our first gig with horns!
Also spent 20 intense days in Ghana recently, touching base with my people there and making some new connnections. The shortest time I've ever spent there. Time moves at a different pace there (slowly), so when you come from NA with an agenda and not much time to execute it, it makes for some mildly stressful times. But the dekele (distilled palm wine) makes up for any disappointment.
And of course, the music.
January 29, 2018
Head On
I'm writing...bit by bit but writing nonetheless. I vowed I would write a single-spaced page of disstertation related material per day. Doesn't seem like much does it? Well, almost 30 days in I definitely do NOT have 30 pages. So much for that. New goal is a chapter (or some semblence of a chapter) before I go back to Ghana on March 12. Will be there from March 12-April 13 and it will be the last trip before the PhD is complete. Lots of items to complete whilst there so I'm preparing as best I can here, with the knowledge that things rarely go according to plan on the ground. Some gigs coming up locally, including a cool experimental dance piece with Sujit Vaidya. Some Zimbamoto/Zhambai stuff too. Speaking of which, I had hoped Zimbamoto would get some gigs to put together a tour for this summer but I've gotten absoluetly NO response from any of the people I met at Mundial Montreal. So much for that. Guess I don't know the right people or something. It's odd, because the band is freakin' great. But I guess the music industry has less to do with music at times (much of the time!). Well just keep on keepin' it real.
December 5, 2017
Time, Time, Time....
Impossible to get a handle on this construct of time. I try to carve it up and use it best I can but the distractions and attractions of the modern age, with the screens and all that is behind them brings me places I never intend to go or spend my time in. But here we are.
Still, I do manage to get some things done. The Zimbamoto album is pretty stellar. The CD release concert was grand, hoping we can tour a littlw in 2018. A recent jaunt to Mundial Montreal, Canada's answer to WOMEX (a major world music schmooze/showcase) was an eye-opener. Basically, if you you don't know the folks who hold the power, good luck getting in their festival/venue, etc. Same with everythin humans do I suppose, but to be privy to it all and actually hear that come directly from the gate keepers was a bit shocking in all honesty.
Trying to plug away at the dissertation, been SLOW going, but have a strategy to get the ball rolling. Daily action, no matter how short is essential. Momentum is key. I'll eventually have to unplug myself for a period from a lot of the things that take my time (except my family).
Speaking of extracting, I'll be out of Vancouver from Dec.14-Jan.8. Will be in NL from Dec.14-27 and will enjoy the time back home, play a couple of gigs too. Then Ottawa from Dec.27-Jan.8. Brrrrr.
Oh yeah, I've moved my site hosting to another service. Some glitches in the coding and file naming so some of my picture galleries might be a little iffy. One more thing I have to address....at the bottom of a loooong list right now so be patient if you like looking at pictures.
November 12, 2017
After All The Work....
September 19, 2017
Here We Go Again
Whoops....it happened again. Several months and nothing here. Not for being lazy mind you, just too busy with other stuff to think about being here. Like enjoying the summer, traveling, playing, enjoying my family, and recording the debut Zimbamoto album!!! It soiunds amazing thus far, is not even mixed yet and I'm super proud to be playing on it and producing it. Release party will be November 23 at the WISE Hall. Mark the date.
In other news, I'm slowly getting back into the world of academia and writing after taking off what seems like several months. It's hard.
Not many gigs this Fall it seems, not where my mind is at, trying to schedule and make some. Adanu Habobo is taking a little breather for the Fall and I have one interesting kind of world/classical thing coming up in October with a visiting artists from Poland. More on that on the sidebar of gigs.
Ok, back to writing this conference presentation.
July 13, 2017
Summer Heats Up
Oh my, I forgot to mention so many things that are happening in July...oops! Not the least of which was an awesome Vancouver jazz festival gig with my group. Awesome bunch of players, and happy to have best bud Pat Boyle holding it down on the bass this time.
One major thing on the go is Zimbamoto'sdebut album!!! We are scheduled to hit the studio on July 28-30 for the initial tracking and will do subsequent overdubs later. Hope to release it in November. We are also doing some crowdfunding to help complete it. Luckily, we were recipients of some funding from the BC gov (via Creative BC and the BC Music Fund). Our Indigogo campaign is HERE
Please share it around the web!!!
So much more happening over the summer. I've been subbing with Locarno and the BC World Music Collective, which has been great fun. We bought a tent and went camping as a family for the first time, which was a success! And I've been slowly upgrading my drumset instead of buying a new one. I'm convinced that what the music instrument manufacturers are selling us is a lie. We don't need $2000 snare drums. A drum is a drum IMO, and with some care and knowledge, any drum can sound decent enough. Cymbals on the other hand...a diffeernt story.
July will see me in BC for the most part but August will be a return back to Newfoundland...will be a time for sure.
June 13, 2017
The Lure...
I've been playing music on a stage for a number of years now and one thing that has always mystified myself and my partners in presenting live music is what makes an audience member leave their home to come out and watch you perform.
Everyone has their own theory I'm sure, and thousands (no, millions) are spent on promotional efforts and advertising for various concerts everyday. Yet, I'm sensing some kind of lethargy or apathy among the "audience". It seems harder and harder to simply get people out of their house and into a seat (or floorspace) at a show. Almost any kind of entertainment is at everyone's fingertips with the internet being what it is today. And it almost everyone is mediating their lives and experiences through a digital means in what appears to me to be an unhealthy proportion.
This was all brought home to me very recently during a couple of concerts I did last week. A well-known organization presented and promoted these concerts. The line-up and programming was unique and of high calibre in my opinion, not too mention being somewhat rare for this city. And some amount of money and effort was spent on promotion. Yet for both concerts, the total audience attendance may have been about 40 people. Yes, 4-T, Forty, Four-Zero.
Maybe it was the timing, maybe people had no money for mid-week entertainment, maybe they were tired from a day of work. Whatever it was, it amazed me that in a city of this size, with a seemingly diverse and cosmopolitan taste, that an event such as the one I was part of fared so poorly in terms of attendance.
At least the music came out great and we had fun. But it makes me wonder about the future of live performance that is not U2, a band that sells beer in a bar, or the next "IT" sound.
There will always be someone who will come out to see live performance, but I must ask the question, is live music, as we have known it for the past several decades, dying?
May 29, 2017
Music & Friends
Music is truly one of the great forces of unity in the universe.
I just spent the past weekend among what were strangers to begin with but we ended up making some beautiful music and good vibrations together, and many laughs. I guess that happens when you spend an intense number of hours with people, but more is at play. "Musicking" with others creates connections that go beyond quotidian interactions and verbal exchanges. Something larger is being shared amongst the participants. I thank Malavika for inviting me to be a part of her bharatantayam team for the 2 performances we did and look forward to working with them all again.
I was also pleasantly suprised to know about the vibrant South Indian arts scene in Edmonton (who would have thought?!?!) and met some other artists there as well, including Ashwin Iyer, of the "Toronto Brothers" Carnatic singing duo, who seems to be one of the driving forces for promoting Carnatic music in that area. Here's to hoping more collaborations may come in the future, either there or here in Vancouver.
May 25, 2017
More Rhythm
The VanAfrica production was succesfull on all fronts and a great learning experience. I hope more can be done with that ensemble in the future. Should get some good video from the show as well which I'll post eventually.
Short notice on this one but I'm happy and honoured to be traveling to Edmonton in a day to perform with an established Bharatanatyam company based out of Calgary/Edmonton, that of Malavika Venkatsubbaiah's Natyam Academy. We will performing on two nights during the Thousand Faces Festival
See the poster below or visit the website for more info.
Then in June the Vancouver Inter-Cultural Orchestra (VICO) will be having their Global Soundscapes Festival: Hands On! - Celebrating intercultural percussion music. I'm honoured to be included in this. I will be participating in several ways, inlcuding two performances and a workshop and even a lec-dem on South Indian drumming (on May 30 at the VPL). I'll post more details on the left or visit the festival website for full details: Global Soundscapes Festival
May 9, 2017
Some Other Things...
My apologies to Ken Shorely.
He's doing a yeoman service to percussion in Canada in many ways, not the least of which is a series of video interviews with a varied bunch of artists, myself included. Here is an interview he did with me last year when we met in St. John's, NL for the Sound Symposium.
May 5, 2017
5th Decade
I turned 40 on May 2.
A big deal? For some. I feel no different. If anything, I still feel like the youngest person in the room at times. A state of mind. Maybe a product of my experience (I'm usually younger than everyone around me it seems). Or maybe I just don't engage with the fact that I have in fact been alive this long and have had some profound experiences. That is, I am nearing the "middle-age".
Whatever the age/number, I still approach life in the same way. With an open heart and mind, always cognizant that I know very little about what is going, and there is always something beyond what we have been taught, what we experience, and what we think we know.
Stay humble y'all.
Speaking of which, I just returned from an amazing month in Ghana. The shortest I've ever been there (couldn't bear to be away from my baby any longer) which made it that much more intense. I'm developing my relationships with various spiritualists deeper, gaining more insight and experience into that world, philosophy, and reality that is vodu. And filling my boots with more info for my dissertation. Oh, if I only had a few more lives to lead. The more I learn the more I know how much I don't know.
Now I'm back here and working towards some concerts, especially the upcoming VanAfrica concerts. A pleasure to work with some of these explosive artists. Do check it out if you are in Vancouver on May 11th or 12th.
March 1, 2017
Approaching 1/3rd
Wow, March 1 already. I guess I better get cracking on this dissertation...hahaha.
Well, I don't have to finish for another couple of years, but it is good to stay engaged, which is why my advisor has requested I present some semblence of a chapter before April, when I head to Ghana for a month of fieldwork (perhaps my final before I graduate). Been spending the last month going over data collected from my 2015 visit. The next few weeks I'll sculpt it in to something prose-like.....so easy to get distracted though.
Baby Leela (more like toddler Leela) is the best distraction ever. Amazing to watch her grow and express herself. I am NOT looking forward to being away for a month (the longest yet gap yet). ;'-(
This month I'm not doing many gigs but am doing two great things, a chamber Carnatic concert, and the day after a dance concert. When it rains it pours I guess. These kind of recitals are so rare in this city (and in my life). I'm so blessed to able to partake in them and have the experience. See details on the left or under the Music section.
Ok.....back to the work.
January 17, 2017
Another Spin Around The Sun
Let's see what 2017 brings. Change no doubt. Though I doubt the lack of time I spend writing here will change. If anything, I'm trying to lessen my time in front of a computer. So much of our waking hours are slowly but surely being sucked out of activity and interaction, instead into blank stares, stiff bodies, and furrowed brows by the light of a glowing screen (both large and small). Where will this lead?
My one goal is to spend at least as much time on a musical instrument as on a computer. And even more time with my daughter while she is awake.
There are a number of musical activities happening for me in Jan and Feb, though none of these come without the aforementioned necessary screen-time to organize those events. The life of the independent artist.
These two are worthy and cool events:
October 27, 2016
Vodu comes to Surrey
I have a lot to do with this:
October 10, 2016
Thanks to Give
Before I begin, I have to say I have no time for this (this, what I am doing right now). There is so much else to life than putting a few words here periodically. Hence the extended periodic nature of my input in this context.
That said, today is Thanksgiving and there is always something to be thankful for. Though I'm nursing a lower back muscle spasm for the last 7 days, I'm generally in pretty good health, which is something one should never take for granted. Health and mobility are blessings for all of us, so if you have them, cherish them.
Of course, I'm especially thankful for my wonderful family, both near and far. If you have that, consider yourself blessed.
And musically, while we all wish for something grander than what we have, I'm pretty lucky to do what I do with the people I do it with. Fuck lofty ambitions, notions of fame and all those illusions. I'm blessed to have some truly great musical souls in my circle that I get to explore with on a regular basis.
August 26, 2016
Developing Developments
I'm happy to let you all know about a worthy initiative happening in Dagabmete (the location of my PhD research and the first village I ever visited in Ghana). The village has built a great health clinic and needs to provide the hospital equipment before the government will get involved and pay nurses and doctors. Luckily, the Queen Mother, Mama Adzorhlor III (aka Aku Dunyo Richter) has done amazing work in bringing this to reality. Visit this page to contribute and learn more.
If one is still interested in developing rural Ghana, you can also visit my own Dzogadze Education Development Foundation page and see the work we have been doing.
Every little bit helps in this endeavours. And 99% of the money donated goes where it is needed, not to any salaries, office expenses, etc.
Grassroots y'all!!!
July 2, 2016
Midnight Sun
Just spent a week in the Yukon. Wow. So much beauty in Canada. And surreality. Daylight for about 20hrs and the remaining 4 were something akin to dusk. Next I want to be there for Winter Solstice. All darkness, all the time.
Now summer is under way I suppose. Sound Symposium is coming up in St. John's, NL where I'll be from July 8-18 with Zimbamoto. Check that out if on the Rock, a musical celebration like none other.
My comprehensive exams as part of my PhD at UBC were completed in early June. Now I can relax a little, no major tasks towards that for a few months, but I am busy preparing for a symposium on African Indigenous Knowledge coming off on Sep.9/10 which I'm spearheading with Dr. Kofi Gbolonyo (with the assistance of a SSHRC grant via my advisor Dr. Michael Tenzer). More on that later.
But for now, I'm enjoying my daughter as much as possible as she keeps it all in perspective.
May 4, 2016
This Was Awesome.....
Feb.25, 2016
A Great Tree Has Fallen
R.I.P Simeon "Pop" Dean (Feb.16,1924 - Feb.19,2016)
son, husband, brother, uncle, father, grandfather (to me), great-grandfather, great-great-grandfather and friend and inspiration to many.
Oct.3, 2015
Greatest Creation
A child is born. Life will never be the same. All else pales in comparison.
Shantaleela Rosana Rao Andrews. 2:02pm, September 2, 2015.
August 19, 2015
Priorities
My oh my. Months without updating. Bigger things on my plate, like a baby soon to be born!!!
June 23, 2015
Shorter Days
I guess summer is now beginning to bloom all over this hemisphere. I just came back from a "pre-Solstice" journey to the Big Island of Hawai'i....a truer paradise on Earth is harder to find. Perhaps the last journey my wife and I will have before welcoming our daughter into the world this Septmeber. That is a whole other kind of journey!! Hawai'i has everything one could ask for just about: perfect temperature, amazing landcapes, oceans, snorkeling off the beach, mangoes that fall from the trees on the roadside for you to eat (after washing), lush, lush, lush and a laid-back vibe (is there any other choice?). If I ever get some $$, I'd buy a house there in a flash.
Other than that the summer is looking kinda slow, might give me time to prepare mentally for what comes in the Fall. In some shitty news, I did not get some fellowships I was hoping for. Somewhat devastating at first, with the prospect of a LOT less income coming my way whilst beng a grad student...wind kinda went out of my sails a bit. We'll see how that journey goes..not doing much acdemically over the summer and am gonna start studying for comprehensive exams in the Fall...the next big step in this PhD affair.
Musically not much new on the horizon, doing some home recording with Kurai Mubaiwa which is fun, mixing the recordings for the Apetorku Gbodzi CD today, and will do some namasankirtanam type of activities with a great singer I met recently from Chennai who started his own Hanuman temple in Surrey. A few gigs over the summer with Zhambai and Tarab too (Hazem Matar is visiting for a month in July). Keep watching the side bar.
May 19, 2015
Summer's Eve
Mission accomplished in Ghana. Though I had a short 5 weeks there, I managed to do about 85% of the tasks I had on my mental list. A good amount of fieldwork, numerous interviews, recordings, songs, and most interestingly, a commercial recording was made of Agbodzi (shrine) songs using some equipment I took along with me. I'll mix/edit it very soon and send back to Ghana for duplication and release. Also made some new acquaintances with a Zangbeto hunor who I saw buried alive one day in Dagbamete. That's a different story though which I might post on the Ghana page.
Have settled back into life here though I still havent' fully unpacked, always takes me awhile.
This past weekend I had the great fortune to play for a Bharatanatyam dancer. A challenge and learning experience which I have not felt in awhile. Lots to remember, to accent, to interact with. Very different than playuing for concerts. And got to meet a great bunch of new artists who were visiting, especially Puneet and Taniya Panda. Sujit Vaidya, the dancer, did wonderfully. I hope Vancouver can support more live dance/music like this.
April 15, 2015
Drums, Dancing, Sweat
Been in Ghana for about 2.5 weeks now. Hit the ground running, straight from the airport to a wake-keeping for an old friend of mine who was a chief. That went on till the next day....and continued with his funeral and still more drumming in the evening. With that over it was the Apetorku fetatrortror festival which lasted for 10 days, saw a few thousand extra people descend on Dagbamete and a WHOLE lot of blood, palm oil, and spirit flowing. Everyone is was in some kind of extended sleep deprived, alcohol and music entrenched haze as there were nightly wake-keepings at the shrine. A thing of beauty. Feelings of togetherness and joy that are hard to beat.
Still about 2.5 weeks left. Trying to do lots of interviews, stay healthy, have some drumming lessons, get to the bottom of some of these ritual-music connections, and avoid the mosquitoes.
March 3, 2015
Ghana On The Horizon
Well, just a few more weeks and I'll be on a plane once again, heading back to Ghana for a very short month of research (March 26-May 2). I'm going to be quite focused in fact - spend most time in Dagabamate, interviewing heads of the Apetorku Shrine, recording during the festival and perhaps organize some dedicated recording sessions of that music/song/drumming, and of course take some further lessons on the various repertoires that are employed there. It is music I have been hearing for over 15 years but only recently have I really started to listen to it.
Just dropped about $1000 on some recording and video gear as well, so I better make use of it!!
School has been well this term, timewise not too demanding but reading a book each week and creating a thoughtful summary from an ethno point of view has been a task enough. Great course in ethnography it is. Add to this various gigs and rehearsals and now planning for the summer/festivals and some upcoming grant deadlines and it feels like there is not enough time in the day.
In completely different news I have started going to the gym!! Yep, never thought I write those words. Why you may ask? Well, my metabolism is not exactly speeding up and my eating habits are the same. I'm basically trying to enjoy my life as I always have gastronomically, but mitigate the ever expanding mid section, which can be the harbinger of other woes to one's health. So why not nip it in the bud or at least keep it at bay?
I'm definitely the odd one out. Feels that way at least!
Jan. 15, 2015
Here We Go Again...
Jeez. Poor website. You get little love from me for months on end! And for the very few who read this from time to time, sorry for the silence. Not much gets said here anyhow. I can't be bothered posting life advice or media content to keep you coming back..I've got too much else to do in life.
Lots of happenings since Oct.12, 2014. Played a great Carnatic concert in late October, Adanu had a super concert in late November, and I finished my 3rd term of grad school. December was spent mostly in India, a week on Neil Island with no electronic at all (what a treat) and my days spent snorkelling, eating coconuts, and riding a bicycle around the tiny island. Then 2 weeks in Chennai during the peak of the December season, following my guru around and geeting my rhythmic consciousness expanded regularly. Always an experience. Also had a chance to play a New Year's show with good ol' Pancho and Sal (Rio Samaya Band) in Goa and spend a couple of days lounging with them in a hammock.
Now back in Vancouver, killed by jetlag ( a week later I may be getting back to normal) and got the news that I have offically been enrolled in the PhD program at UBC, thereby skipping the MA section!!! Soon to the comps (oh dear). I've got to get down to business soon and start some transcribing and analyzing some of my recordings. Also start a clear research plan for my next trips to Ghana. This all seems to be happening so fast! Where will it end? Who knows. Step-by-step.
Oct. 12, 2014
Into The Throes
Wow. I was just in Toronto on a whirlwind trip to play a show with Lapis at the newly opened Aga Khan
museum. The impression it made on me is still lingering. Th architecture, iconography, and of course, the collection of the museum itself are fascinating. Items that span the Islamic world from Spain to China from 6th century AD through present. I only had an hour to go through but enjoyed it all the same. If you are in TO, do yourself a favor and visit. Some of the paintings, wow..... simply no words to express. And the architecture inside was so aesthetically pleasing, very symmetrical and at times acoustically rich.
Lapis was performing in the auditorium in the museum, which programs a healthy performance series of varied and noteworthy artists, I was honored be among those that have performed. The organization itself treats artists quite well and sincerely appreciates our presence, which is a nice change from the normal circumstances and trials that musicians go through. I hope I can perform there again in the future.
Now I'm back in Vancouver, working on some school work, papers and the like. But lots of musical activities on the horizon as well, some of which are noted on this site.Speaking of music, for those interested in Carnatic music, TM Krishna, one of the leading voices in that musical realm will actually be giving a lecture/demonstration on Nov.16 in Surrey!
Sep.6, 2014
Falling Together
A new season (has it begun?). One can feel Summer disappear, best make the most of what is left before Fall arrives with its own rhythm and feeling. I like it though, always a new energy in Fall, many new beginnings. For me, my second year of school which I'm taking head on. A busy September with some writing deadlines and then a busy October with numerous gigs, including a number of South Indian events which I'm looking forward to. And cooking, always cooking. Been on an Ethiopian kick lately, but some flavours elude me....can't beat Harambe on Commercial Drive! My salted fish should arrive from Newfoundland whenever someone is coming this way from there as well.
Kofi Golonyo made is back from Ghana and we'll be doing more, including a big show with Adanu Habobo on Nov.29 at the Roundhouse. Promises to be something great with traditional rhythms from Zimbabwe and Ghana and a nice horn section to augment the whole show. Some public participation on that one as well. Maybe a Zimbamoto album?
Stay tuned.
July 24, 2014
Coast to Coast...again
Well, I can't complain. I had quite a time at the Sound Symposium a couple of weeks ago. The highlight was indeed getting to play with kora master Boujou Cissoko and my buddy Pat Boyle on trumpet. Played a house concert, did a workshop and then killed it at one of the evening concerts. Hope to do more with that trio. Should have some video ready from that soon. As usual, I got to meet a number of amazing and diverse artists including Bill Horist, Bart Hopkin and my personal fav, John Kameel Farah. I met John about 7 years ago in TO and have been advocating for him to come to the Sound Symposium for years....finally! He did not disappoint. The best was a solo concert he did on a pipe organ in a church. I only got to see 15mins of his 40min set (soundcheck beckoned!), but from that 15mins alone, I was changed. It was a healing experience of sorts, very hard to describe but he was taking us on a journey for sure. Plus the sheer physical impact of a pipe organ is something to behold.
Got to see a few friends and family but not enough time as usual. Luckily, I'll be heading back in a week or so to play at the Newfoundland & Labrador Folk Festival, this time with my good brother Kurai Mubaiwa. He's been there back in 2010 (at Sound Symposium) and LOVES it there. Who deosn't really? I hope to get a day out on the water if possible and get some codfish to bring back to Vancouver with me. Maybe blueberries will be ready too!
Summer has been busy thus far with some travel and playing, but I'm striving to find some time to enjoy the nature that surrounds me. I encourage you to do the same wherever you are.
June 29, 2014
Good Things Coming
Man o man o man o man! I guess I've been too busy for this little piece of cyberspace. Returned from Ghana about 4 weeks ago. Amazing time as always. I wrote a little missive about it which you could have read if you were on my mailinglist, so please feel free to join it by sending me a note saying so! Made a lot of headway in terms of research towards my graduate school and was lucky to visit Agbomey (Benin) once again to taste some of that sweet, sweet music that they play over there. Some of the deepest polyrhythmic grooves you'll find anywhere.
My 1st year of my MA is 85% done, just have a major research paper to revise and submit by summer's end. The grad school experience is a journey, one I will be on for a few more years. But I'll do it my way as much as I can and make it fulfilling for myself. The key is to enjoy what you are focusing your efforts upon. I was lucky to receive a nice SSHRC fellowship which was encouraging and will help with my costs of being a student.
Beyond all the school, I'm still playing lots of music (thankfully). Busy with Zimbamoto
here and there and will play a few festivals over the coming months here in BC And praise the Gods I'll be returning to Newfoundland not once but TWICE this summer! In July for the always inspiring Sound Symposium where I'll play a couple of concerts with my newest musical friend, Boujou Badialy Cissoko.He is the real deal in terms of kora playing and we have been developing a nice rapport. Good ol' Paddy Boyle will be joining us for those concerts. Then again in August the Newfoundland and Labrador Folk Festival will fly my mbira buddy Kurai Mubaiwa and myself back to play at their event. Kurai LOVES NL so it will be good to have him there again. Pat will join us for this gig as well. Hopefully the blueberries will be ready in August and some icebergs and whales will be there in July. Do I need to say how awesome NL can be in the summer months?
Ok, that's enough for today. I'm gonna go see if I can convince my wife to watch an episode of The Treme (Google it!)
Feb.24, 2014
Like Bananas
"Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flys like bananas"
Time is an eternal mystery, this I know. And our perception of it is at the foundation of this enigma.
When younger, time would drag on, traveling seemed to take forever, the days leading up to Saturday morning and your cartoons were an eternity. Now, older and busier, time seems to fly like nothing else. February is already nearly over and it seems like I don't have enough time to do all that needs doing.
I just came from my first academic conference in Seattle where I presented a paper on Carnatic rhythmic calculation/thought. Was a good experience overall. Have another one this weekend at UBC on a different topic altogether....still needs to be written!! Plus a 40+ page project in process, another major term paper for another class, plus readings, grant deadlines, applications for this and that. All of this on top of rehearsing, gigging and trying to plan gigs for the summer. All has to be done by Apil 5 when I take off for Maui and the Ghana until May 31!
Somehow, I'll find the time.
In other news, the first Offering gig of 2014 is coming up. Glad to have Dave Spidel on bass and good vibes. We'll be trying out one of my tracks that I never play live, the percussion/rhythm heavy "Olive Ridley's Lament"...check it out on my music page.
Jan.14, 2014
And it begins
January started slow, I thought I could relax for a spell. Well that dream is over with no shortage of things keeping me busy now. Gigs of various sorts, meeting new musicians and maybe starting new projects (should I be doing this?), preparing papers for a conference, trying to organize and apply for festivals in the summer, planning a trip to Ghana in April and so on.
And now I might be doing a major independent project on top of the rest of my classes!! Anyhow, I asked for it.
One major event is coming up on Feb.8 and will be featuring Adanu Habobo, Zhambai Trio, kora master Boujou Cissoko and Guinean guitar phenom Alpha Yaya Diallo. If that weren't enough, my good ol' buddy Awal Alhassan will be joing Adanu as well as a 4-piece horn section!!!
Dec.20, 2013
Turning of the Year
First term done.
Time manangement seems to be the biggest challenge and I have a bit of hold on it now. Excited to start the 2nd term and see how it all unfolds. In Newfoundland now after being in frozen Ottawa (-31 with windchill!!!) for a spell. Respect to the Inuit folks. Newfoundland to has a bit of snow, even Vancouver so I am told. Tis' winter after all. Been laying low here on The Rock, hanging with the family, decorsting the tree, try and see some friends when I can. Have a couple of gigs too which will be fun, especially on th 23rd with Pat Boyle on bass!
Fly back to Van on Dec.31 for New Year's and the 2014 hits.
2014 will be another revolution. No resolutions really. Just keeping on living, learning, loving, sharing and giving. And of course, more music.
Hope yours is as good as it can be.
Oct.22, 2013
My Brain is Bigger
Alright then.
Nearly 2 months later and I here I am. What changes…my God. Being back in school IS quite an adjustment for me. I’m used to a lazy, free kind of life with little commitments (beyond what I create for myself) and no deadlines (save for the random grant deadline a couple times a year). But now in Grad school I’m having to do readings, assignments and research papers!! Being evaluated (with numbers/grades) is kind of weird too. Is it even necessary at the graduate level?
All that said, I’m managing well and learning LOTS about a range of things in the Ethnomusicological world and beyond and can feel my brain expanding and using powers of concentration that were long dormant (or put towards musical things I guess). Many thoughts about the future and where this will all lead me and what impact I can have.
But I keep making music. How can one stop? Have been busy with Lapis and hope we can get some funding to record. Did a great gig with my trio Sancharam at UBC which was well received and have more things coming up with Zimbamoto, Adanu Habobo, Lapis and Tarab. Should I slow down?
Naaah.
I gotta play, I can’t only be an academic…it is unbalanced to me, especially if one is an academic focused on music. Isn’t the music what is most important (some will debate of course). As with most of my life, I see myself on the periphery of the mainstream so I’m curious how I’ll integrate with this world.
Speaking of which, I have reading to do!!
August 30, 2013
The Big Smoke, The Rock and Blueberries
Well, well, well. What to say. The last while has been a whirlwind. 2 weeks in Toronto to strengthen ties with friends old and new, spend some quality time with my guru Trichy Sankaran (who never ceases to amaze with his wisdom, generosity and overall greatness) and saw some superb music, ranging from some futuristic neo-soul from Australia (Hiatus Kayote), hardcore (Phil Anselmo) and heaviest of heavy, Black Sabbath!!!!!
For the last while I've been in St. John's, NL with a few jaunts out "around the bay". Managed to pick some chanterelle mushrooms (without meaning to find them) and will soon go pick a whack of blueberries to bring back to Vancouver. If you don't know, Newfoundland is basically covered in blueberry bushes and they are in bloom this time of year. Just go into any patch of land off the highway, walk and eventually you'll hit some bushes. Sweetest berries ever.
Of course, playing a tonne of music while here, eventhough I only planned on doing 3 shows, it seems like I'll have done about 7 or 8 before I head back to Vancouver next week.
Speaking of which, my life will go into a different mode very soon when I enter school again. Exciting times!!
July 23, 2013
Summer Fun
So much good weather here in Vancouver these days, why spend it on a computer inside? Been hitting the beach as much as I can (but not to swim, too cold for me) and spending a lot of time in my hammock on our balcony.
Good times.
Had a whirlwind of different gigs recently too and had a great experience teaching at a 5 day summer jazz camp operated by my friend Jared Burrows. Was quite rewarding to see the participants develop over such a short period of time.
Now preparing for a couple fo Zimbamoto/Zhambai Trio shows and especially looking forward to having Antuan Nunez from Cuba (now living in Vancouver) play some tres with us at the Mission Folk Festival gig!! He recently moved here and I'm trying to bring him out to different jams when I can, great musician.
Also gearing up for my visit to TO (Aug.4-17) to see my guru and some friends and then 2 weeks in Newfoundland (Aug.17-Sep.5). Sooooo looking forward to that trip. Might even get some cod-jigging in if lucky. Hopefully the blueberries will be in season too!!
And then my big change in life, returning to school in September at UBC. Got my courses registered, some books bought and now must prepare for a slight change in lifestyle!!
All good though.
June 14, 2013
The Road Ahead
So today I registered for most of my courses for my graduate school journey to start in Spetember. Feels very real now. Will be an interesting time and I do believe I'll thrive...I have a lot to share and explore. My biggest problem is choosing what NOT to focus on since I have done so much over the past 12 years since leaving school.
Other than that the last month has been a process of settling in. After I arrived back from Ghana my parents came to visit and enjoy Vancouver (and me too of course). Since they left I have been struggling to even just organize my house and life! Been playing some cool shows and met some interesting new musicians. I think I'll be having some tough choices to make regarding time/energy management come September. Though in school I'll still need to play!!!
Upcoming are some interesting shows and one new group I have joined is called "Lapis" with Rup Sidhu and Mohamed Assani. We played a cool set recenty fusing beatboxing, beats, sitar, rhymes, mridangam, mbira, kanjira and ghatam (!!!). More to come from that group.
May 17, 2013
Back in the West
An amazing 2 months in West Africa. Lots to share...need some time to get it together..stay tuned.
March 14, 2013
6 Months Around The World + $50,000???
So my wife has entered this very interesting contest where you make a video, write a blogpost and basically make a case for why you derserve an all-expenses paid trip for 6 months on 6 continents and at the end you get $50,000!!!
????
Yes, it is true. You can view her entry and vote too by clicking below!
March 3, 2013
Raising Some Funds For Ghana
Mark it down folks, March 17 I'll be involved in and organizing the first fundraiser in Vancouver, for the work I have been doing in Ghana since 2007. It will indeed be a warm and fuzzy evening with some great music as well featuring Zimbamoto, Tarab, Rio Samaya Band, Mezcla and the premier of ADANU HABOBO, a Ghanaian traditional drum/dance ensemble that is being led by myself and Dr. J.S. Kofi Gbolonyo.
Here is a FACEBOOK PAGE
The proceeds from this fundraiser will go towards the work that I have been doing as well as school project that Kofi has been undertaking in Ghana for the past several years. My own project has been detailed on this website and you can know more by clicking on the DZOGADZE FUND button on the top-right of the page. Kofi's project - GHANA SCHOOL PROJECT is essentially a free music school for children in his hometown, both traditional and Western music.
This is a great cause and 100% of the money raised goes straight into the work being done, none of it for administrative fees, promo, office space etc.
Please spread the word to your friends and network.
Also know that tax-deductible donations are accepted for the Dzogadze Education Development Foundation , via an elementary school we have partnered with in Newfoundland who processes the receipts.
Feb.14, 2013
Love Is All Around
Valentine's Day it is!! I think the only time I've ever really "celebrated" this day was in elementary school when we made/bought cards and gave them to our classmates. Nowadays, love is everyday all the time no?
For me anyways.
Been a good year so far, the Language of Rhythm Project (L.O.R.) is under way and still workshops left with that project. Our final cocert will be March 21 on the International Day for the Elimination of Racism. More info about all of that is on the Public Dreams website which is HERE.
In a couple of days my Sangati concert will happen. A bit of buzz surrounding it which is great and I am really looking forward to make this effort come to fruition. Been rehearsing lots with Jared and Colin to get my original pieces up to speed and they sound great. Will be a treat to play with Vidyasagar and Prabha as usual and excited to introduce Karthigha to Vancouver audiences as well.
Also be on the lookout for the Adanu Habobo debut concert on March 17! It will happen during a fundraiser that Kofi Gbolonyo and I are organizing in support of the work we both do in Ghana. A Facebook page is here: HERE.
Besides all this, lots of other cool things happening. Had an AMAZING show with Tarab at Cafe Deux Soleils on Saturday past and look forward to doing more with that group. And soon, I'll be off to Ghana!!! (March 25-May14)
Jan.23, 2013
52 Years
Well then, I guess the experts were wrong , Dec.21, 2012 did not end the world. But according to the Mayans, something did end (and something else began again). This I heard from a Mayan man himself at a Mayan city of old in Mexico recently. Quite fascinating the Mayan reckoning of time, cycles, life and their calculations/numbering system.
And an awesome environment too of course :-) Anu and I spent 2 weeks in the Yucatan, snorkeling, swimming in the ocean and in cenotes (freshwater underground water systems!!) and eating LOTS of tortillas. Before that was in Ottawa and NL visiting family and enjoying the holiday season.
2013....doing some cool things already including this LOR project which sees me and 7 other Vancouver artists (other drummers, First Nations singers, beatbox/rapper) coming together to create some new music based on our love and understanding of rhythm. A series of workshops too. Check the details on the left. Most exciting to me is my concert on Feb.16 with some great South Indian musicians including Vidyasagar Vankayala (voice), Karthiga Parmeswaran (veena), Prabha Sivaratnam (violin), Jared Burrows (guitar) and Colin Maskell (sax/flute). Yours truly on the mridangam. Do make it if you can...we don't get a chance to produce music in a setting like the Western Front very often.
Not sure what else 2013 will bring..no major plans besides those things thus far. No tour plans, no festivals booked. Who knows where I'll end up. For sure I know I'll be in Ghana from March 25-May 17 and still have room for people on my Ghana trip. Hope to get deeper into some Guruni music in Northern Ghana and hopefully back to Benin as well for more Fon music styles and life.
And finally, I've submitted my UBC grad school application so my life may begin to become a whole lot different!
Dec.14, 2012
Yuletide Times
Well, I'm not sure what happened to November really, but here we are in mid-December. In Ottawa now visiting Anu's family which is fun. Playing indoor living room hockey and soccer, doing puzzles, being lazy, seeing bits of Ottawa....which is actually kind of a nice little city. In a couple of days we'll head further east and spend 13 days back on the Rock which will very welcomed. Get to see Pop, my family, friends and play a couple of shows. I've decided to not actively book to many things in there because the time is so short and there are many people to see and be with.
The Ship gig on Dec.27 will be especially fun and I hope to see some friends there, it might be the only chance I'll get to see some people in fact. Have a new piece written called "A Frayed Knot" which was intended to be simple to play and learn, but ended up being something completely different!
Dec.29 will be an afternoon, family-friendly gig at the foyer of the Arts & Culture Centre being organized by the Sound Symposium. Will feature some Scruncheons, Dzolali, Black Auks and much more. Always a good time!
Dec.31 Anu and I will take a little side trip to the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico(!!). Flights were pretty cheap from NL-Mexico-Vancouver so we bit the bullet. Will spend most time in small town called Xcalak, visit Tulum a bit, do some snorkeling, get vitamin D and see some Mayan ruins!
Finally, I have a friend in need. Diane Smithers is a great photographer and has run into some serious hurdles with gear being stolen (cameras, lenses, hard drives) as well as cash. She has set up an fundraising campaign to get back on track. The link to her site is HERE.
October 29, 2012
No Tricking, But Some Treats!
Wow.
A month on the road is no joke. The tour was quite intense overall, but also quite comfortable and well-organized. Perhaps the best I have ever been on. But in the end, I think touring is not my preferred way to make money or music. It is great to be able to travel the world and play music of course, I am very lucky to do that. But as a preferred means, I'd like to stay local. On tour, you don't really get much chance to do much besides see your hotel, your car, your venue and then your hotel. It is hard to think about life outside of the tour either and as for "seeing" the world, it is usually through the window of whatever mode of transportation you have.
That said, I'll still probably do some kind of tours again in the future, but will be more careful about how long they are and what they entail. I have been back for a week exactly and that is about how long it has taken for my life to return to some kind of normal. I had immense physical and some emotional pain to go through upon coming back home, as if everything I was going through during the tour was being absorbed so I could just get through it. Day after I got home I hurt in places I didn't know I had pain during the past 28 days!!! Good ol' adrenaline. That said, today I bought a pass for my local pool/rec-centre...not to swim, but to enjoy the awesome hot whirlpool and sauna!!!
Am now thinking of the immediate future and some gigs, rehearsals and plans for the rest of the year. Am also thinking of buying my tcket to Ghana ASAP because they are SUPER cheap on the Delta Airlines website. I have some interest for my trip but so far not many "confirmations", though that deadline is not until Jan 2013.
Oct.13, 2012
Deutscheland Uber Alles?....not really
Don't get me wrong, Germany is pretty cool after being here for the first time. I've only ever really spent time in airports but for the last 16 days or so (and until Oct.22) I've been all over Germany, everyday a different place played music with Uzume Taiko. Hearing German all around me is kind of odd as it is an odd language to my ears. Culturally, this place is not all that strange to me, maybe the vast amount of meat and bread that is eaten is a shock to me (like most of Europe perhaps?)And the clear lack of "colour" in most times we visit.
But playing music I have decided, is not the best way to see a country. I much prefer visiting a place to study music, taking my own time, sticking around and absorbing what is arond me. The pace I am on is a different place everyday, different hotel, different venue. The music itself is the redeeming aspect. But that is only 15% of the day. But I am lucky and grateful I can make a living this way.
Not without some incidents though! In short.....Oktoberfest, several 1 litre beers, a 20 feet high stage, no ID/passport, a security, police station, a small bag of white powder (Vitamin C in fact!!) and then a free ride to the hotel by my new friends in uniform.
Not to mention an average speed of 200km/h (and at times 240!!!) on the autobahn.
Life moves fast over here.
August 24, 2012
Turn of the Seasons..
Summer is still trying to keep its face showing, but I can feel Fall in the air. All good though as Fall in Vancouver is pretty awesome anyhow.
Lots going on this Fall for sure. Of special note is the new Adanu Habobo which I am forming with Ghanaian drummer/dancer/teacher Dr. J.S. Kofi Gbolonyo. He has been here for 3 years and we have been trying to start a group and it is finally happening. This group will focus on the traditional music of Ghana, especially from the Ewe side as that is both our areas of expertise. We have a core of dancers and still need a few more drummers. Contact me if you or someone you know would fit in the group. They can come by and we can see how they do.
Besides that, there are a few nice shows coming up, especially Thursday Aug.30th with Rio Samaya band at Nuba. Last time was a blast, this will be too.
In some great news, Zhambai has been invited to showcase at Mundial MOntreal, a new world music showcase/event that happens in Montreal. We'll do it up in November, hopefully we get some funding!!
Speaking of funding, a few days ago I found out I got some for my "neo-Carnatic" concert which I'll probably do in January. More on that later.
Sunshine Music fest in Powell River coming up and hopefully some camping. Enjoy the outdoors whe you can!
August 3, 2012
Criss-Cross
Sin Jawns, Sin Jawns, St. John's.....never a dull moment when I get there these days. I was lucky to be there from June 30 (arrived 3:20am which set the tone for most of my evenings) and returned on July 24. The question is not what did I do but what did I NOT do. Tonnes of music at the jazz festival, Sound Symposium and more. So many friends, kites to fly, codfish to jig (yes, I went jigging with Paddy Boyle), family to hug and eat with, whales to watch.
St. John's in the summer is one pf the best places on Earth.
The Sound Symposium itself had so much for me this year. I had several friends from Toronto come down and stay for the duration of 6 days and I took them around in grand style, late nights and early morns at in the bars, seeing the sights, soaking in it all. Played some great shows, esp a duo show with my cohort Patrick Boyle with a tribute to the "Adorable" Adrian Adonis ( behind us a huge screen of his match with "Rowdy" Roddy Piper at Wrestlemania 3....epic indeed). Some time to hang and jam with the inimitable Jaron Freeman-Fox as well.
Though shorther than previous years, the SS for 2012 did have some redemming moments and allowed for a greater use of energy in such a short span. One of the highlights was driving out to Doctor's Cove on the edge of the land, hanging with my old friend Reuben "Beny" Esguerra (who is about to release an awesome spoken word/hip-hop/precussion album) and letting Gayle Young show us how to make lithophones from rocks we found at the water's edge. Truly amazing day in the sun.
Good to be back in Vancouver now and making things work. Playing some nice shows with Zimbamoto & Zhambai Trio in August, an interesting world fusion type of gig in September with a varied and talented cast and then in later September a tour to Germany with Uzume Taiko. One major thing that will be getting off the ground is a new West African drum/dance ensemble with my friends Kofi Gbolonyo. It will be called "Adanu Habobo" and will finally be an outlet for all the music from West Africa I have been keeping within myself. We'll see how it goes.
Speaking of dance... THIS FELLOW is in a word, amazing.
Enjoy!
June 28, 2012
To The East!!!
Man o man o man. No shortage of things to be at. Zhambai CD release went amazing. Bongo Love were great and Zimbamoto brought the heat. Probab;y the best Zhambai Trio show yet...great energy from the crowd who was there to dance share their love.
I've done most of the admin work and CDs have been sent, now just finished a FACTOR grant application for Zimbamoto...we shall see.
Anu's absence (she being up on Haida Gwaii looking at birds) was filled by the guys from Bongo Love. I had them all staying here for a few days I gotta say, they are some of the nicest dudes.
And open minded too.
Funny, kind and very modern fellows. It was very refreshing to be around them. Making me want to go back and visit Zimbabwe!
They'll be back in Vancouver aroud November so we'll plan to do another show with them and Zimbamoto.
Just gearing up now for my trip back to The Rock. As you can see from my gig schedule, not a dull moment...gonna be grand.
It is also capelin season so I hope to taste a few and get some pictures as well. It is quite a sight...thousands of little fish spawning and killing themselves.
One more gig here in Vancouver with Pancho and Sal and then I'm off next morning at 8am.
No rest for the wicked they say, but I don't feel that wicked!
May 31, 2012
Blossoms
A lot has happened in the past month and more things ahead. Biggest is the success the Zhambai Triohad in raising funds for our debut CD. Thanks to everyone who contributed....good things coming your way. As I speak the manufacturing is underway and the result looks and sounds AMAZING! Greg Valou did a super job with the artwork. The release date has been set for June 21 at The Waldof Hotel and we'll have Zimbamoto joining us as well as Bongo Love , a super group of musicians all the way from Zimbabwe!!! Tell your friends and be sure to by some advance tickets, you get a better deal that way.
Besides that I've been busy with a cool new trio called Tarab which plays the highly emotive music of the Middle East (Egypt, Lebanon, Syria and more). This group is led by one Hazem Matar, a superlative oud player who is living here for a couple of years before going back to Saudi Arabia.
Had a great gig with my own ensemble The Offering of Curtis Andrews the other night at The Kozmik Zoo. Wonderful venue, crappy weather and awesome music. Lucky to have such great players play my tunes. Another possible gig with that group in June...stay tuned.
And of course I've been busy with Uzume Taiko ...recording our album, rehearsing our show for the October Germany tour and preparing for a local show on June 13 here in Vancouver. Details on the side.
Newfoundland in one month!!!
April 29, 2012
April Showers.....
It is beautiful here in Vancouver now. Leaves are slowly covering the bare branches of the thousands of trees that line our neighbourhods, sooooo many amazing flowers are showing themselves, especially the ubiquitous cherry blossoms which are always a treat for the senses. I gotta say, Spring in Vancouver is pretty awesome. I don't think I've ever been here during this time of year...either in Ghana or on tour somewhere.
Life is moving forward....many things on the plate. Been playing regularly with Jamie Perry (aka Boocephus King) in an interesting group called Orchestra Familia at Chai (on Broadway) each Friday. They've just opened a new place on Main St. and I think we'll shift there soon.
It goes places.
The Zhambai Trio fundraising efforts are under way (please tell your people!!) and we are slowly reaching our goal. Have a few dates over the summer booked as well. I'll be playing some shows in May with my jazz group, a Carnatic concert with Vidyasagar Vankayala and Prabha Sivaratnam,a gig with Acoutiscamoderna ( a new group I'm playing with), ZimbaMoto of course and with Rio Samaya whenever possible.
Also busy with Uzume Taiko in rehearsals for a show in June, a tour to Germany in October and two shows in November. We are also recording an album(!).
So things are pretty busy and I'm liking it. Will be turning 35 on May 2 which will be interesting. Divisible by 7 AND 5!
March 18, 2012
Zhambai On The Move
Another month gone and here we all are.....2012 is well underway.
I've been keepng busy with various things and am looking forward to the release of the Zhambai Trio CD which we are in the process of fundraising for right now. Just launched an on-line "crowdfunding" campaign with IndiGoGo (check the widget over on the left).
Besides that have been trying to get some music together for my own ensemble "The Offering", and look forward to a gig at The Kozmik Zoo in a couple of days as well as having a bit of action with ZimbaMoto, Jessi Nicholson and the Pacific Sound Collective.
One great thing that is on the horizon is a community Ghanaian drum and dance ensemble I will be putting together with Dr. Kofi Gbolonyo, a generous drummer/dancer/teacher who lives in Vancouver these days (and teaches at UBC). We just had a tasty performance with the student ensemble on Saturday past in fact.
Have also decided on my Newfoundland dates...will be there from June 29-July 24.
Sound Symposium in effect.
Oh yes.
Feb.10, 2012
The Gap is Over
After 2 months in India and Sri Lanka, getting married again (to the same wonderful person!) I am back in Vancouver. An amazing time was had. My sister, one of my brothers, parents and a slew of Anu's relatives and a dozen or so of our friends from around the world made it to the wedding.
A 2 week honeymoon in Sri Lanka opened our hearts and minds a bit more and I had the fortune to be around my Guru in Chennai for some of his concerts and watch hom receive the title of Sangita Kalanidhi (a big deal if you know what that is).
Now in Camada again I have to figure out how to make some money for myself. Always thinking a few months ahead. It is a weird way to live one's life. ZimbaMoto have a nice CBC gig coming up which will be recorded, Zhambai will have CD coming out by June (we hope) and will do a few gigs. Will try and set up a couple of shows with my large band and plan to work more with Kofi Gbolonyo (Ghanaian drummer/dancer) while I am here.
Live & Learn in Ghana won't happen this 2012, only got 4 people and needed 6. No big worry. Will give me a chance to stick around and grow some work in these parts. Speaking of which, I'll be offering a couple of one-off workshops in Ghanaian drumming in March. Deets on the side.
Nov.30, 2011
The Eve of India
In the midst of final packing for a 2 month journey tomorrow to India. Wedding on Dec.11 and then taking my parents and sis on a 2 week tour around Southern India. Have been a travel agent for the past week searching the best places to stay, booking flights, trains, cars...sheesh!! Will be good for them though. Spend 2 weeks in Chennai to see Guruji Trichy Sankaran play and see him receive a major award as well. Then off to Sri Lanka with Anu for snorkeling and adventure!!
Return to Vancouver on January 30th. Yeah..life is good I suppose.
Oct.25, 2011
Back from Belgium...what's next?
Full of broodjes, awesome chocolate, cheese and an amazing variety of (strong) beer. 3 weeks all over Belgium with Uzume Taiko....a grand time. Learned a lot, played a lot, ate a lot. Will perhaps return next Fall as well.
Now onto the future...a bunch of things coming down the pipe.
A couple of gigs with Sunshine Coast folky-jazzy-bluegrass group The Rakish Angles on Oct.28 and 29 and then I'm in Toronto for 2 weeks to visit some teachers and friends...and play a gig at Trane Studio on Nov.3. Then back to Vancouver for 2 weeks in mid-November to play some gigs with my ensemble, Zhambai and ZimbaMoto....and also do some recording with Zhambai.
No shortage of things to be at I spose.
And then on Dec.1 off to India for 2 months.
;-)
Sep.20, 2011
Residency is Over
It was great while it lasted but my residency with the City of Vancouver/Caravan World Rhythms and Vancouver Community College is just about over. Had a great time, taught some new students, made new friends and even better got a chance to make some new music...and pay people (including myself!) in the process. This Saturday will be a little display of some of that music and it promises to be something great, including a chance for me to finally play some mridangam in a decent setting, which is few and far between.
Joining me will be some great players including Colin Maskell, Kristian Naso, Dan Shook, Francois Houle, Jared Burrows, Graham Ellsworth, Bonnie Soon, Jason Overy, Rod Caballero, Norm Patterson and special guest Vidyasagar Vankayala.
And it is free!!!
August 29, 2011
Summer into Fall
Is Summer over? Is it dictated by the months only? September around the corner? The feeling in the air? The weather? My days kinda flow into one another..I don't notice weekends, holidays and such like most people. I can do basically anything I want, when I want (within reason). So really, weather define seasons for me. That said, August was super sunny here in BC!
Did a lot of cool things, taught a bunch of Ghanaian drum classes, been working with a new trio (Francois Houle, Jared Burrows) which is more focused on my S.Indian inspired compositions (with me playing mridangam). All of those things are part of residency at VCC (via City of Vancouver/Caravan World Rhythms), which will end in a few weeks and culiminate in a "recital" of sorts. Has been a very fruitful period and helped me a lot.
Lately I've been playing/creating with Uzume Taiko here in Vancouver. They are not a traditonal taiko ensemble by any means, but are perhaps one of the more exciting in the groundbreaking work that they do. We'll be doing a 3-week tour in Belgium in October so our noses are to the grindstone in preparation and creating the show. Sounds awesome so far!!
All this activity has made me more aware of how we live our lives (as artists at least) by planning for the future......constantly. I am everyday looking at my calendar, planning rehearsals, gigs, tours, grants and such....all weeks/months away. It seems very odd as our life is happening here and now. It would be nice if I could just live in that here and now and not have to do such planning and living in "the future". Well, I guess I could but it mean a radical lifestyle shift and less $$, which we all kind of need right.
But how much? And to what end?
Oh yeah! I made a website for Zhambai Trio...it is HERE
July 20, 2011
Married!!!
Yes people, I am now a husband to the wonderful Anuradha Rao.
After a brief courtship of 7 years or so we finally made it binding, spiritually (most important) and legally (not so important). Happened on July 10 in St. John's at the local Hindu Temple surrounded by lots of friends and family. A beautiful ceremony if I may say so, following ancient Vedic rites with a slight modern variation. And then a great little party in the evening with amazing food!!
While home I also had the chance to play a few gigs, watch some whales, re-connect with friends and overall had a an awesome time.
Now I'm back in Van City and ready to sink my teeth back into my teaching and residency and play some shows with Zimbamoto. Last night we had awesome show with Mbira dzeMuninga from Zimbabwe and will be heading to Komasket next weekend with Zhambai Trio to play this great little festival, from what I am told anyhow...I have never been there!
June 23, 2011
Present/Future
Things have been moving well. Settling back into Vancouver, rejoining my friends, playing a bit.
Last week's Ghanaian music workshop was great and another one tonight. If interested do contact me first.
Been playing with my good friends Pancho and Sal and various other good souls (Bocephus King, Navaro Franco, Robin Layne) at Chai Gallery and East is East. Check out these people if you get a chance. Music for the soul indeed.
Yesterday had an awesome meeting with Francois Houle and Jared Burrows who I'm forming a new trio with. This is made possible by the residecny I have at VCC which allows me the time, space and resources to meet weekly with these fellows and flesh out some new music. Some good things gonna come from this indeed.
And playing more Carnatic music lately in preparation for a young musician to make his debut as a singer. He is a student of the great local vocalist Vudyasagar Vankalya and the concert is this Saturday. For a youngster (13) he sings pretty well. I'll be in Vancouver for most of the summer except for 10 days in NL (where I'll get married). Hopefully I'll get a chance to leave the city a bit and enjoy the beauty that BC has to offer. Maybe hit Zimfest in August as well if possible.
June 6, 2011
A new resident
So as you can tell by looking left, I have been lucky to receive a "residency" at VCC (Vancouver Community College). This is made possible by the City of Vancouver (who funds the whole thing) and Caravan World Rhythms (who applied on my behalf).
Essentially I'll be getting paid to teach some workshops, give some lec-dems (with some guest artists) and have the time and space to work on some new music. It will end in September.
The most significant aspect for someone reading this is the workshops in Ghanaian music/dance that I'll be offering every Thursday night. Spread the word and come check it out yourself if you can.
June 1, 2011
Decompression
My God......4 months have passed just about. Idlers tour seems like such a long time ago. I just arrived back from Ghana a few hours ago. Amazing time as usual. Reconnecting with old friends and forging new relationships as well.
Learning....giving....receiving.
I had 7 people come from Canada as part of the Live & Learn in Ghana 2011 program and I can say with confidence that they all embraced it 100% and got 110% back. The food, climate, music, customs, belief systems.....they took it all with gusto.
And no one got sick!!
After they left I admit the village was kind of dull, but I didn't stick around long as I headed east to Benin for a week to get more of the music there which is always a nice challenge. Reconnected with the Zodji family and had my mind opened just a little more with brother Joel Gboja Zodji and the zinli rhythm.
Then spent the last week or so traveling to Tamale to see my northern family which is always nice since I coould not see them last year. Some of the nicest people anywhere are the Atindaana famly of Tamale.
And now, after small-small bribery at the airport in Ghana, I have arrived back in Vancouver safely with some new kpanlogo drums and a giant gourd from Benin.
Now.....where do I begin?
February 25, 2011
Back from India and on the road
Had an amazing time in India over the past two months. Wrote a great missive about it which is here in the travels section of the India page. Will add some pics to accompany as well soon.
Should have some time as I am on the road now with Idlers from NL. Started the tour in Canmore about 10 days ago and it has been a blast. Great shows, great crowds...and amazing snowboarding in Fernie. First time for me in 18 years (!!). Came back to me in a flash....as did a completely sore body the day after.
Idlers tour is just beginning and have a bunch of dates across the country so check us out if you can and visit Idlers.ca to hear some tunes.
December 31, 2010
Back in India
After 3 years away, I finally landed back in Chennai...haven for dosa and Carnatic music lovers. Arrived after a long journey at 4am, settled in and went to my guru Trichy Sankaran's house where we prepared for one of his concerts, a refreshing shower of music from Vijay Siva. Then back to guruji's house and then to have a night meal with he and his wife.
Quite a first day back....am a bit tired but getting into my groove a little bit now.
Am here until mid-February.
December 23, 2010
New album is here!!!
After several years sleeping on my computer, a duet album from trumpeter extrordinare Patrick Boyleand myself is out!!!
The album, entitled Rock Music and is a series of duet improvisations between the two of us. Featuring trumpet, flugelhorn, gajda (Croation bagpipe), bass, African drums, bells, cymbals, mechanical birds, congas, drumset, water drums and more.
Out of the 20 tracks (57mins), there is at least one piece that anybody on Earth will enjoy...I guarantee.
Maybe it will be the funky "Boswarlos", the pensive "Trepassy" or the frenetic "Come By Chance"?
Perhaps the water drums of "Quirpon" will tickle your fancy, the floating quality of "Flat Rock" or Pat's trumpet-beatboxing on "Spread Eagle"?
The music was inspired by or named after various unique place names in Newfoundland & Labrador..in some abstract way.
Music suitable for dancing, quiet listening, freaking out, driving, star gazing, and more.
You can buy it from Fred's Records in St. John's and it will be on iTunes shortly.
November 15, 2010
Dzogadze in the news and the rest of 2010
The whole Dzogadze foundation project has been featured in some national press recently. Check out the links here from a Newfoundland newspaper and from Radio Canada International (do a search for Curtis Andrews and the page will show).
In other news, I have bunch of local Vancouver gigs coming up (check to the left for deets) and will spending a good 18 days in Newfoundand over Xmas and play some gigs too.
Off to India from Dec.28-Feb.22!!
October 30, 2010
!!!!!!
I'm getting married!
India, Dec 2011....more to come...all are welcome if you can make it!
August 17, 2010
Updates and more
I finally got around to updating some sections of this website. Some new videos and pics have been finally put up in the Benin, Japan and galleries. Visit the galleries and check them out..esp the vids on the Benin page. Have also put up some new pics on the Dzogadze page relating to the foundation and the latest work we have been doing. Check that here.
Speaking of which, I'll outline a bit of those activities for y'all.
1. Purchased hundreds of geometry sets, pencils, exercise books and school uniforms
- To help ease the economic burden of individual students (and their families), we periodically purchase certain consumables for groups of students of different grades.
2. Purchased drawing boards to be kept as property of the school
- A drawing board is a certain piece of wood (kind of like a drafting board with a T-Square and such) used in some courses that are part of the curriculum. Instead of buying them for each student, the school owns these and lets students use them and return them.
3. Electrification of primary block and JSS block
- The village received electricity in 2009. Thus, it was decided to add lights and electrical sockets to a number of the rooms in the school complex.
4. Computer room creation/renovation
- Students in Ghana learn about computers/information technology but many schools have no computers. This village is such a case. Many students have never even seen or touched a computer yet are instructed to learn about them. 4 computers were procured from various sources and were brought to the village in April. With these in hand, a room in the JSS compound was renovated, fortified and has now become a computer lab! No internet connection or anything, but these systems will help kids get a little more familiar with computers and their basic functioning.
5. Mosquito Nets
- 100 mosquito nets were purchased and handed over to pregnant women, nursing mothers and families with small children in the village.
6. Water reservoir project
- For several years, however, the village has been petitioning the local government to help build a water reservoir in the town. This would provide a secure, abundant and safe means of water supply, and also one that is considerably more convenient and less stressful on each household. At present, a household must send several family members to the water pump with numerous water pans, wait in line, fill said pans and then transport them to their house (which may be quite far from the pump at times). A water reservoir system in the town, besides securing clean and safe water, also means an updated distribution system with pipes running to several taps throughout the town. And if people can afford it, they can choose to have the pipes come directly into their house. - The local government is currently building this water reservoir. It is near completion and $700 of Foundation money was put towards it.
So as you can see, a few thousand dollars can go a long way.
And here are some recent pics as well.....
Kids checking out the new computer room for the first time.
Distribution of geometry sets, pencils, exercise books.
The water reservoir project under way.
July 6, 2010
Sound Symposium
The 15th annual Sound Symposium is under way. It is amazing. If you do not check any of it out, your life will be less beautiful than it could be. Visit www.soundsymposium.com and choose something....anything.
And if anyone wants an mbira lesson with Kurai just drop me a line. And if you want any lessons with me, do the same..I am here in St. John's until Aug.2
June 21, 2010
I'm back!! (sorry for neglecting you website)
Well, seems like I forgot I had a website since I got back from Ghana a few weeks ago. The two months were amazing and intense...major learning experience. The Live & Learn Tour was a great success and I am very eager to do it again next April, with newfound knowledge and experience. The people who came all had life-enriching and life-changing experiences, I'll post some of their words soon and post pics too (though I lost all of mine!!).
My own time spent studying in Benin was extremely eye-opening and mind-expanding. I felt like a child of rhythm at times learning a rhythm called zinli. Do a search on it try and find the one...any one. Will post some vids soon on that as well as photos from the whole trip.
As for now, I'm slowly settling back into Canadian life. Soon after arriving I was hi-jacked by The Idlersand went on a 8 day tour of B.C. which was in a word......awesome. Great crowds and amazing scenery...Tofino blew my mind. What a beach. In 10 days I will be off to The Rock for the whole month of July to play a wack of shows and will bring Kurai Mubaiwa with me...gonna be good times. And a plethora of other awesome musical activities are also planned on The Rock, my own group, Idlers action, Dzolali...keep watching my listings.
But before I leave for NL, I get a chance to play my own music with some great musicians here in Vancouver!!!...see the listings for more deets.
Mar.12, 2010
Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like...
Bananas!!! Wow....how did that happen? Been two months since I posted any "news". Maybe it is because I have had lots of news!
Have started a great new trio with Kurai Mubaiwa, a highly talented mbira/marimba (and several other instruments) player from Zimbabwe. The trio is called "Zhambai" (which means "scream" in Shona) and is composed of myself, Kurai and a great percussionist/dancer named Navaro Franco. We play straight-up traditional and some contemporary music on mbira, marimba and hosho. Very "trancy" and fulfilling. Check us out sometime.
Olympics have come and gone...I am relatively unscathed. Got a few gigs out of it though which was okay. Other than that I just read the headlines and stayed away from the crowds.
Gee, what else? The Ghana trip is full with 10 confirmed people...it's gonna be awesome. My visa is now being processed and preparations are being made on the ground over there. I was also lucky to get a grant from the Canada Council for the Arts to fund the study protion of my trip. I'll hang in Ghana for awhile and then spend some time in mysterious Benin, going deeper into that musical culture.
My jazz ensemble is slowly coming together as well (rehearsing is proving harder than I thought) and I have a few gigs planned for June when I come back from Ghana.
July will be spent back in NL...best time to be there....a Sound Symposium year!!!
Stay tuned....
Jan.18, 2010
A new year...a new page
Twenty-Ten....has a nice ring to it. Am looking forward to what it will bring as I have a good feeling about it. Happy New Year/Decade to you reading this!
Been back in BC for just over a week now and am getting some things on the move. One major thing is a series of workshops I have been taking with a visiting master Korean drummer named Kim Dong-won. This music is super funky and invigorating...shamanic ritual music in fact and it is interestingly, mostly in a 5-beat cycle..very cool.
Will try my hand at some workshops of my own at the end of the month. Depending on the response I may try for regular episodes....not enough Ghanaian music in these parts. As elsewhere, the djembe dominates...gotta bring some balance to the scene if you know what I mean.
And slowly, I am finally getting the Japan section of this site on the go. Check it out the Japan page for a taste. More to come.
Dec.26, 2009
Another award!!
Last week I was selected as the winner of the 2009 Atlantis Music Prize!! This award is patterned on the Canada-wide Polaris Music Prize , and is given annually to the best full-length album from Newfoundland and Labrador, judged solely on artistic merit, without regard to genre or record sales.
An independent panel of 40 journalists, musicians, and people recognized for their knowledge and appreciation of local music submitted their top picks for the best album released between November 1, 2008 and October 31, 2009.
Details about the whole thing are here at The Scope magazine website. The Scope is an awesome local arts/politics/life magazine that is doing much to promote community and communication about what goes in St. John's and Newfoundland as a whole. They sponsored the Atlantis prize.
Dec.17, 2009
Some new reviews
A couple of new reviews of my album from Wholenote Magazine (Toronto informative music mag) and Percussive Notes (journal of the Percussive Arts Society).
Dec.08, 2009
A slew of December gigs
I'm back in Newfoundland from Dec.10 to Jan.8 and playing a bunch of different gigs which I am very excited about.
Not the least of which is a show with my group, my brother Duane's group and then Duane and I joining forces for a set with our good friend Patrick Boyle.
I'll also be holding a couple of fundraisers for the worthy Dzogadze Education Development Fund, which if you do not know about you can go here to find out more.
Details about all the gigs can be found here.
In other news, I just played an awesome show this past Sunday with a great band called Zimbamotofronted by my friend Kurai Mubaiwa from Zimbabwe. We tore up the stage as we opened up for the amazing singer from Zim named Chiwoniso.
Good times had by all.
Another interesting note is that a little video I was in is getting spread around the interweb. A group called Foreign Policy Camp made the whole thing and it is quite interesting. The group itself has a mandate to stimulate debate, connectivity, change and thought about the way Canada and the world relates to each other. For this video, they had various people in different parts of the world give a line about what they think Canada needs to change about itself.
I was in Japan when I did mine (via Skype!)
Dec.7, 2009
ECMA awards nomination!!
A few days ago it was announced that I am up for an ECMA (East Coast Music Association) award. My record is up for "Instrumental Album of the Year". The awards happen in March sometime.
We'll see what happens. For now, I'll forget about it unless something happens.
For more info go here.
Nov.17, 2009
Awards!!??
Well it seems somebody out there likes me. I have been given "Male Artist of the Year" and "Instrumental Album of the Year" by MusicNL!!!
This past weekend MusicNL (the music industry association of Newfoundland/Labrador) had their annual gala award show/"pat each other on the back" night. It is usually a good place to see friends and drink a few beers. I don't usually partake in much industry dealings but I figured since my record was funded by MusicNL I should particpate and put myself on the ballot. Looks like it was a good idea as I won 2 out of 3 awards I was nominated for. Thanks to all who made it possible.
So what does this mean?....... I dunno.
In wider reaching news a track of mine has been has been included in a very worthwhile project called Tia Anita. It is spearheaded by a friend, Anne Stadlmair, who I went to university with at York U in Toronto. "The organization's mandate is to foster an awareness of grass-roots initiatives assisting orphans affected by aids - primarily in africa - while promoting a wide range of canadian music talent from the folk tradition to world music".
One of my tracks, "Olive Ridley's Lament" was included in their latest fundraising CD entitled "Harambee". For more info check it out by clicking here. Very cool.
Also, I'll be playing a cool gig on Dec.6 with Zimbamoto, a Zimbabwean group fronted by my good friend Kurai Blessing Mubaiwa. We'll be opening for fiery Zimbabwean singer Chiwoniso when she comes to Vancouver. For more info visit Caravan World Rhythms.
Nov.13, 2009
Back from Japan
Wow. What to say about this past little trip to Japan with The Discounts. We went all over Japan, played for a bunch of different crowds, saw some amazing places, ate some even more ineteresting food and took some great pics too. Not sure when I'll go back but if I can I will.
September 21, 2009
The present, the future, new pics/vids and a new page
Life in Vancouver, BC is treating me well. Me and Anu have been here for just over 3 months now and I’m getting a feel for the place. Making lots of friends as well and recognizing faces in different places that I venture…..which is nice.
My musical life here is of course different, but that is partially because my goal is not to be exactly what I was back in NL.
I have met a talented mbira player from Zimbabwe who I get along with nicely and we are planning some things. Also made a great connection with a gifted South Indian vocalist which has been a great experience. I have also found a great Ghanaian dancer who lives here and am slowly re-incarnating my drum/dance ensemble (Dzolali) on this coast.
The only thing I wish to make come alive is a group to perform my own music. But since I’m picky about who I play that music with, it is taking longer than I had hoped and (as I have been warned) people here seem to respond to your queries, shall I say, in a relaxed fashion.
Upcoming:
1) in Newfoundland from Oct.7-19 to play some shows on Oct.9, 15,16,17th.
2) From Oct.21-Nov.2 I’ll be heading to Japan with The Discounts.
Believe it….NL arts funding in effect!!!
3) Idlers will be releasing our much anticipated (and awesome sounding) new record in November 2009. YIS!!
Some new videos and pics have been finally put up in the Ghana, Benin and India galleries and more are on the way when I get around to it...takes more time than one thinks. I have spent hours re-sizing, uploading and coding.....need to get away from this screen!!
Ledzi just sent me some pics from Dzogadze of the primary school block in use. A little blurry but good all the same. Here are three of them...more to come.
I have also put a new section on this site about my teachers.
June 19, 2009
MOVED TO VANCOUVER!!!
Yup.....I did it.
Arrived on the night of the 15th and am starting to get a handle on the place....having a bike helps...and a map. I'll be fat and broke soon because there are so many awesome restaurants, the rent is crazy expensive and I'm living off savings with no immediate work prospects..must find work. Meeting some musicians and networking a bit to get the lowdown but it will take time to get busy anywhere near what I was in St. John's.
On the hunt for a house as well. If you know anything let me know.
Feeling good to be here though....the future is wide open. Lots of things happening, I think I can find a place for myself with some time....main goal is find musicians to form a group with to play my music, maybe teach a bit as well as there are no mridangam players here or many people playing anything South Indian from what I can gather.....little to no Ghanaian music either. And mountains..... If you are reading this and are in Van City drop me a line.
curtisandrews(at)gmail.com
I would be lying though if I said I did not miss Newfoundland right now ;-)
May 25, 2009
UPCOMING SHOW
The Offering of Curtis Andrews
(playing world jazz niceness ;-)
Thursday, June 4th
Petro Canada Hall, MUN School of Music
8pm showtime
$10/PWYC
Tickets at the door.
Limited seating.
Curtis Andrews: drums, mrdangam, mbira
Bill Brennan: vibes/piano
Terry Campbell: trumpet
Chris Harnett: saxes
Brad Jefford: guitar
Rob Power: vibes/percussion
Josh Ward: bass
We'll be playing 1 long set of tunes from my album as well as a new composition I wrote for my good friend Kobla Adukpo in Ghana. Also be playing my arrangement of a traditional Zimbabwean mbira tune.
Do come by and grace us all with your attentive ears and clapping hands.
I'll be playing on June 12/13 with The Idlers at The Ship as well....but that will be a late night affair of course.
There is also a potential jazz gig this Friday (May 29) at The Rose and Thistle with the Brad Jefford Trio. But as of writing this, that has not been confirmed.
Further, may also play a set of improvised jazz with Grant King(guitar) and Dave Bridger(bass) on CHMR (93.5FM), live in the studio, this Thursday(May 27) from 9-11. A show called The New Spin hosted by Dashiell Brown.
All for now....please spread the word about June 4th whichever way you can...internet, telephone, telepathy, pigeon.
May 16, 2009
BACK IN NEWFOUNDLAND
Greetings one and all,
Just a short note (that is a change!!!) to let you all know that I have reached Canada safely and am now residing back in St. John's, Newfoundland for the next month.
My last few days in Ghana were very fulfilling and I was lucky enough to discover some wonderful things, some of which I have attached in picture form.
Spent just a coupla days in Toronto and could not could not see or contact everyone that I know and then went to The Rock.
I'll be in St. John's until early June when I move to BC for awhile...still looking for a place to live there.....and any kind of gig. So if you are in the know, let me know.
March 25, 2009
"ENGAGING, UPLIFTING AND WARMLY HUMAN"
Exclaim Magazine have a nice review of my new album in their new issue - read it here.
NEW LETTER AND PHOTOS FROM GHANA
I posted new photos from my trip to Ghana, where I currently am. The Dzogadze school is open and I have travelled there for the opening.
Click here for the letter and pictures
February 19, 2009
DZOGADZE SCHOOL IS BUILT!
I got the call two weeks ago from Ledzi saying that they have finished. Thanks to everyone who helped with the fundraising over the past two years. There some pics in the Dzogadze gallery and I will be adding more in the near future. Tax-receipts are in process!!!
Also, I will be returning to Ghana on Feb.23 and returning in May. I plan to spend more time in the Volta and also visit Togo and Benin. Keep watching this space as I will have fresh pics of the school and other things I come across while there.
February 17, 2009
SHOW MOVED TO SATURDAY
The performance scheduled for Wednesday, February 18th had to be moved to Saturday, February 21st. All times and other details remain the same:
Here is a chance to hear a set from the recently released album of Curtis Andrews and a set by Dzolali who will be playing traditional music from Ghana and Zimbabwe. There will also be some collaboration between the two groups and a chance for you to dance as well!!
Sadly, this will be the last time for awhile to hear any music like this (and there is no other in the city) as Curtis will be back in Ghana from Feb.23 until May.
Tickets at Fred's Records, Living Planet and Johnny Ruth...
$15...general admission
$10...students/seniors/under-employed
$5....kids/unemployed
Bring yourself and a friend.
This is event is all ages