living in villages among the eʋe and asante peoples, and also playing with artists from the ga, dagara, lobi, and dagbamba peoples in ghana, and african american peoples in church, on the street, and in jazz spaces, i have been given a gift not found anywhere else. forces so powerful that even i, as a non-african person can be accepted and welcomed. they have given me music, drumming, dance, and spirit that have helped me go through life.
we each live in time and space – surviving, working, searching for a partner, maybe having children, laughing, suffering, dreaming, growing old, dying – and affect people and events as we go on our journeys. but we also live in another dimension, a time beyond clocks, a space beyond place, a being of the heart and spirit, our ultimate reality. the musics of the world’s cultures are a gateway to this life sense, a place outside our frailties.
through this recording, we honor the african heritage – and particularly the musics and peoples of the coastal rainforest areas of ghana, togo, and benin – one major source for the music called jazz. the sounds of drums, bells, and rattles; of jazz transcendence; songs, proverbs, and cries; dance movements and energy forces; tap dance; are all expressions
of life and unconditional love for all existence, every moment, every molecule, every soul. they have helped me and countless others on life’s journey. the music in these recordings is inspired by that unconditional boundless spirit. i have given my life to playing these sounds with the people of each culture and bringing them to the drum set as a guest in the african and african american traditions. experience these voices and rhythms from wes, art, david, and i, finding your own reality as a path through the shadows to another space and time, beyond the veil.
[double CD]
