PROLOGVE

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
'-
 un Ra, the legendary African American
philosopher, pianist, and leader of his Solar
Arkestra, spoke of the human condition and
life's struggles in terms of an omniverse and our
genesis from another dimension. He once told me
'Reality is not just what we see, there is another
existence, we are beings from beyond.' The music
of his large Arkestra ensemble always stretched
the limits, surpassing the expected toward the
ultimate, with such pieces as Myth vs Science:
Reality. When I heard the Arkestra live, I could feel
this transcendence, what Amiri Baraka speaks of as
an African life sense. As my life has progressed and
my playing has taken me to many parts of the world
- Africa, Asia, the Middle East/West Asia, Europe,
and the Americas - Sun Ra's wisdom has become
clearer.
Apart from the unconditional love of my parents,
I have been alone and lost, failing at most things,
seeing the horrors of human suffering, and
, ondering if there is any meaning at all. In my Peace
Corps experience in the Philippines and subsequent
trip throughout the planet, I have seen firsthand the
aenocide against the people of the so-called 'third
-orld.' ':-1 friends there do not have an airplane
T are embraced as a means of ii, ina deep~; i::' ::--=
et home to shelter, clothing, food, medical care,
"'" . al. For no reason, I do. Somehow, out of this
::l es.:, and tru aa e comes
a deep all-encompassing reality expressed throu -
music, dance, and art. Something that can touch :;:
all. When I hear a West African drum ensemble, a
Javanese gamelan, an Indian music ensemble, an
McCoy Tyner's great quartet with Sonny Fortune,
Calvin Hill, and Alphonse Mouzon, I realize that
there can be meaning, and that these masters are
playing more than music, they are playing life at i
deepest.
In this path of life we find connections with people,
places, events, times, impressions. On our journey
we also lose many of those connections through
separation, failure, death, and change. Especially'
western industrialized society we can feel emp _',
separated from others, nature, the creator, our
ancestors, even from ourselves. Many world cui.
keep these connections alive through tradition
and ritual. In West Africa one powerful way' e
drum and dance drama, a shared remembran e
and honoring of a people's history and des' :,.
Through intense dancing, drumming, and .
a community rekindles bonds with other h
and spirits, spaces, activities, moments, c
feelings, the earth, and with themse1Ye5.~
present and going forth on indiYidual a..c
paths to the future.
Living in villages among the Eve people in
southeastern Ghana I have learned things we cannot
find in any book. They have given me 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 without place, a being
of the heart and spirit, our ultimate reality. For me
the musics of West Africa and other world cultures
are a gateway to this life sense, a place that cannot be
bought or sold, cheated, insulted, a place beyond our
frailties.
OWO
E FORMING THE I OSSIBLEffRA
The sounds of drums, bells, and rattles; songs,
proverbs, and cries; and dance movements,
gestures, and energy forces are all expressions
of life, of the heart, of unconditional love for all
existence, every moment, every molecule, every
heart. They have helped me on my life journey.
The music in these pages 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 drumset in the
African American tradition. Play these rhythms and
voices from the Eve people of West Africa in your
own personal way, finding your own sound as a
means to a deeper spirit. They will also bring you 0
another place and time, beyond the veil.
FORO ADOBE
SCE DA ICE
 AKP ES E

WAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAV~
 kpese is a recreational dance drama of Eve
peoples in the northern Volta region of
Ghana and adjacent Togo. It is played when
people come together to meet and have fun, touching
and celebrating, somewhat like a religious or athletic
rally. This drama is expressed in a free, explosive The Akpese (pronounced ak-peh-SAY) ensemble
musical style, highly improvised drumming, and is led by Duga, a large single-headed open drum
risk-taking to create excitement, like the open, played with the hands. Its rhythms can reflect Eve
unfettered transcendence of African American jazz. speech by means of vugbe drum language, speaking
low, middle, and high tones through various hand
Much of its music derives from song texts, which are and finger strokes. It calls or reacts to songs, cues
separated in performance by interludes of intense dance movements, and interacts with the other
drumming and movement, the dancers twirling instruments in the dance drama. In some villages,
white cloths while the lead drum rolls and speaks such as Anyako, a second uuga is played, doubling or
in a strong voice. Sometimes a bugle or trumpet engaging in a dialogue with the lead uuga's rhythms.
and whistle join the drama, as I experienced while
playing traditional drums and drumset with Akpese
ensembles in Ho, the capital city of the Volta region
and Anyako village at the Keta lagoon. The red hot
explosions of the bugler, trumpeter, and women &
man playing and a police whistles brought me back
to New Orleans, experiencing the intimate force of
There are eight supporting drums, bells, and rattle in
a street band and dancing onlookers, the second line.
the Akpese dance drama. The time line is expressed
We traded phrases between bugle and drumset as
through three atoke iron boat-shaped bells held in
the songs, dancing, and traditional drumming were
an open palm and played with a thin metal rod.
exploding around us, and I felt a connection among
Atoke are pitched in high, medium, and low ranges.
West African drumming, New Orleans bands, and
The high-pitched atoke states a seven-stroke pattern
jazz like never before.
that can be heard as a duple form of the Gadzo 12/8
ganugbagba time line (see Gadzo section). Medium-
and low-pitched atoke play interlocking three-stroke
phrases, each alternating sound creating tonal
movement.

At different times onthe video the medium or low

atoke rhythm was
played on afrikyiwa
metal castanet-type
bell.

The axatse gourd rattle

states a repeating leg
and hand three-stroke
pattern reinforcing the
atoke timeline.
can reflect speech tones. Its basic pattern of low and
high sounds interacts with alternating pairs of mute
and open strokes played on the asiuui 1 single-headed
wooden hand drum. While dondo can improvise, its
conversation centers on the interplay with asiuui and
forms the essence of Akpese drumming. A second
asiuui voice, which we will call asiuui 2, is employed
in some villages, playing a six-stroke open tone
pattern that complements and reinforces the high
atoke timeline.

Pattigame is a small double-headed metal shell drum

played with a combined stick and hand technique.
It rests on the player's thigh, with the fingers of the
holding hand pressing against or releasing one head,
while the free hand strikes the other drumhead with
a wooden stick. Finger pressure mutes the sound and
creates the low and high pitches of stick strokes on
the opposite head. The mutes are barely audible but
felt as part of the rhythm. This drum has an active
voice, stating a series of variations that enrich the
texture of the dance drama. A few variations are
shown here. The pattigame rhythm was played on a
.di drum in the video at Anyako.

1: erience Akpese dance drumming with the

Jzi di BJbJbJ roup from Tarso Anyako village
:' Le i eo and hear the interactions amona dondo,
:::i~~ne, a=' 1.:.:; around the a o~e an
AI<PESE ENSEMBLE,;.1-15 EVE PEOPLE
~~""';'~:~~~''---------="",.,,+~

Tradilional PaLLems and ImpIOvisalions ::

'I

j) 7 )..+--) 7-@

m J====J
AXATSE - GOVRD RATICE Hand~
Leg ~~~~ __ ~ __ ~~ _

DaNDO
STRINGTENSION
HOVRGLASS
DRVM
HL~
~--~~~~-.
I
-=-----------~--~-------
~ :

ASIOVI1- HAND DRVM ~=aI iI j j ~ j iil j t:: I

PATIIGAME - SMALL DRVM r~~ ~

~%-R ~==-:- :I
ADEGBEJOJO BOASTING IN THIS LIFE IS FALSE.
AL;) D;) LAWO MI NY;)! PEOPLE BLINDED, IT IS TIME TO WAKE VP!

A ttfp, mho ~
x = LH finger mutes

B m p y.D o
*
j ~o :~

(m y.D 1~M :~ o
;;

D ~iyWym=W=<~
,ttB jy~tl
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F~ijy~~~

H ~ ~ :,mr. :~
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adding an extra stroke to fill space, as I have
heard Eve drummers do.
You can also play cymbal rhythms on the
side of your low tom or as high-pitched
snare rim shots near the edge of the
drumhead. Low tom side strokes suggest
the 'ka' stick sound on the wooden shell of
an Eve drum, while rim shots imply the tak
sound of North African and Middle Eastern
hand drumJIling.

Freeman Kwadzo Donkor showed me how

each voice in a West African ensemble can
speak through the drumset. Change your
left hand to suggest asivui 1 hand drum
open strokes on toms and mutes as snare
cross sticks.

Now play the asivui 2 open tones on toms

and mutes as snare cross sticks.
 (0 NV ERSA T ION S AMON GS V P PO RTIN GIN S

he high- and medium-pitched atoke

T rhythms are an important part of the

Akpese timeline. Play these rhythms
on ride cymbal and high hat over a bass
drum pulse with high and low dondo tones
on high and low toms. For a lighter feel,
high hat foot strokes as open splashes.
Throughout this section you can freely vary
the dondo pattern among tarns and snare,

.Y-j
-:~
The active pattigame voice adds excitement
to the Akpese ensemble. First try its low
and high tones on low and high toms, and
then on snare. In this section you can bring
the pattigame phrase around snare and
toms for tonal variety.

Adapting the three-stroke medium atoke

rhythm on cymbal bell leaves space in the
groove. Join this with the dondo phrase on
toms and a bass drum-high hat heartbeat
implying axatse.

Next play the pattigame pattern between

toms, on snare, and around the drumset.
The final metaphor is Me va ka ba vua gb'J;
me kp'J dzidz'J vua I]u (pronounced mehz vah3
kahz bahz vooah1 gbawz mehz kpawz jee3
jawz vooahz ngoo3), whose literal and inner
meaning is "Come early to the performance;
show happiness for the drumming." Its
tones are played on vuga as 'ga gi-de ga-da
ga . de tsa ... ga gi-de tsa. tsa. de tsa ... '
and extends over two bell cycles. Its starting
point falls with the sixth stroke of the high
atoke timeline, or the fourth beat of an eight
beat, two-measure four-four time feel.

t' ki~====~y
UVGA
ge;~it~:~=====~ ~ g====a:
~ ~
ga/da
dzi dz'J vua I]u.

You can adapt this saying to drumset

with vuga's sound pattern outlined in a
conversation among bass, snare, and toms
in a funk style. Join this with high hat stick
strokes suggesting axatse.
Now try the high atoke pattern on cymbal
bell with medium atoke as high hat foot
strokes. Play the open high hat sound in
measure two with your left hand stick.
You can also move your left hand among
snare and toms.
GADZO
 adzo (pronounced gahd-zoh) is a
recreational dance music of the Eve
people of Ghana and Togo. It is derived
irom ancient warrior musics and sometimes
.:...dudes rituals and the pouring of libations.
Gadzo is presently played for social occasions
2.~the market square, parks, or other meeting
~.;aces,and is also performed at funerals, usually
=- ear the home of the deceased.
:he Gadzo ensemble is led by the deep-toned
;:alTed wooden Gadzovuga master drum.
Ga zovuga is about three feet tall, cylindrical,
;, d uses wooden pegs to maintain tension on its
=- head, which is played with the hands.
_ 1 contemporary form, there are five basic
3' '- porting drum, bell, and rattle voices. The
=- eline is sounded with two sticks on a metal
- '-tainer called ganugbagba. The strong hand
.:::a~ a seven-stroke pattern while the weak
:- ' outlines main beats which relate to dancers'
ovements. The seven stroke pattern is
-:::';' _-played with the right hand, as in Gadzo
"'~-=:>ensembles 4 and 7, although I played it
- -.:--my left hand on DVD ensembles 2 and
-. :he strong sound of this metal container
::I ifies the Gadzo ensemble. Sometimes
2..;:Jar] ogui double bell is played instead of
8... abagba.
_- - - is a gourd rattle with a netting of beads
~ 5J. e about its exterior. It is held in one hand
=::- -truck against the opposite palm or thigh,
. a a swishing sound that also reinforces the
........",
~ :imeline. It traditionally states a number of
-2.:'-.a:ionsthat add a different rhythmic feel to
- ;:> ic drumming patterns.
open tones. Mutes are accomplished by pressing
the stick against the drumhead on stroke contact
while open resonant tones result from bouncing the
stick off the drumhead. Its basic phrase consists of
three open and three mute strokes. Kidi's pattern
can change in conversation with Gadzouuga, one
dialogue response including open tones that parallel
dondo and the dondo variation, as on the video.
The wooden hourglass-shaped, double-headed,
string tension drum known as dondo completes the
Gadzo ensemble. It is played with a curved wooden
stick. Dondo traditionally improvises phrases whose
tonal language can be understood, enriching the
ensemble texture. One basic pattern is a high-low
pair of strokes that match alternate kagaI] statements.
A variation adds a third high-low motive within one
bell cycle.
Two other metal instruments are played for chanted
rituals and sometimes join the ensemble: auaga, a
small, open mouthed bell with a clapper, and aq.oqo,
a double-ended cluster of slender chambers with
clappers that functions as a rattle. Both are held in
the hand and shaken, functioning in the ensemble to
support the timeline.
Observe the full Gadzo drum and dance drama with
the Anyako Lashibi community on the video and
hear the interplay of supporting instruments with
the Gadzovuga master drum.

. a slender high-pitched wooden drum

"\ith thin sticks whose sharp strokes
_ ize offbeat pairs. Like axatse, its
~2.:'.-atio add rhythmic 'spice' to the ensemble.
_:, e are Teatdrummers in the villages who
~:::"";a...izein playing kagaI] all their lives, creating
~n ~e. uances in timing and unique variations
c. e, timbre, and rhythm that you can hear
_ - e TIdeo. Variations A and C-G are most
- =c: only played at a moderate to slow pace,
- -~":""e
~ e other patterns are usually played at
os.
 GADZOUVGAH Traditional PaUelIlS and IlllplOvisations :~

METAL
GANVGBAGBA-
(ONTAI N ER BELL
RLcB' J. ~ ] ;.@!. ;b ~ L
----f----~----~----r--~ J~
AXATSE -
GOVRD RATTLE

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

DONDO - HOVRGLASS
STRING TE NSION DRVM

DO N DO VAR (ATl 0 N ~ !-1:::~:=;--::;~=~.=-

-==--==- -=8 ~ $J ~~
-=i=~

kAYIBOE (PRONOVNCED KAH YEE BWAY)

E ERE CETOASOCIALOVTCAST
 >~
GADZO"DRVMSET STYLES

The ganugbagba speaks both a heartbeat

and a time cycle. Play the heartbeat between
bass drum and high hat and the time cycle
on cymbal bell. Throughout this chapter
you can also play cymbal rhythms on the
side of your low tom or as high-pitched
snare rim strokes (snares released) with
the tip of your stick, suggesting African
sounds like ka, a stick stroke on the side of a
wooden drum.

Extend the heartbeat to snare cross sticks or

crash cymbal bell. These combinations bring
out the metal sounds and driving two-hand
feel of ganugbagba.
You can also play kagaI] as snare cross
sticks or extend it to toms as well.

Omitting one cross stick leaves more

space in the groove and suggests the
high-low sounds of dondo as on the
video for this example and Gadzo DVD
ensemble. Improvise your own kagaI]
rhythms on snare and toms, beginning
with the traditional variations given earlier
and those on the Gadzo drumset kagaI]
variations 1 and 2 videos that include
patterns B, D, H, I, J, and K (DVDIO) and N,
L, and M (DVDll).
 TALKING DRVMS
UVGBE DRVM LANGVAGE

GADZOUVGA LEAD DRVM UVGBE STROkES

AND THEIR SOVNDS
ve music is characterized by drum
syllables, vugbe, which reflect the
da - strong hand bass
high, middle, and low tones of the
indigenous Eve language, marked in the ga - weak hand bass
pronunciation syllables after each saying
as 1 for low, 2 for midrange, and 3 for high. delte - strong hand open
(two consecutive des,
In Gadzo we will focus on the tones of the
gadzovuga lead drum and the hourglass- the second called te)
shaped, string tension dondo drum, both of gel gi - weak hand open
which play low, middle, and high pitches.
Their voices often reflect the introduction of tsa - strong hand muted slap
texts by singers in the dance drama. Vugbe tsi - strong hand mute
is fully communicated by the interaction
of the entire ensemble of drums, bell, and ki - weak hand mute
rattles. In each example in this section, the
drum voices are shown together with the
ganugbagba bell timeline above the staff. k.i
tsi ~
tsa
ge/gi --------------
de _
rza/da
The final Eve text is Gade ga Jo (pronounced
gahl dehz gahl pfohl)' whose literal
statement is" A bell has rungl it is six
0' clock again." This refers to a curfew
imposed in 1953by British colonials as a
result of civil unrest by traditional AI]b-Eve
people protesting continued control of the
area prior to Ghana's independence in 1957.
It expresses the feeling "We are disgusted at
this intrusion into our lives." The villagers
told me this and other similar sayings
are still played, since they see the current
military, economic, and cultural control of
their lives by industrialized nations and
corporations as a contemporary form of
colonial control. The price for this inhuman
treatment, which began in the 1400s in West
Africa, is starvation, disease, as well as lack
of shelter, clothing, and meaningful work,
all forces of dehumanization and genocide
that they experience daily.

In this holocaust the people come together

in a communal society to survive and KRAMO BONE AMMA YEANNHV KRAMO PA
instead of hate, live a spiritual life of love WE (AN NOT TELl. THE GOOD FROM THE BAD
for each other, nature, ancestors, and spirits
BE(AVSE OF PRETEN(E
that even extends to those of us who come
from the neocolonial areas of the globe.
This transcendent spirituality, which is
shared by many peoples in Africa, the
Middle East, Asia, Oceania, and indigenous
Europe and the Americas, is expressed in
drumming, dance, and song.

Gade ga Jo is an example of how historic

events are enshrined in the dance
drumming tradition. Its tones are played
on gadzovuga as 'ga de ga . ga .. ' and
echoed by dondo. The space between
tatements, taken by three high pitched 'tsa'
ounds, is open for improvisation by either
instrument, and can function as a call with
the vugbe phrase as a response. The entire
hrase can also be pulled into a duple feel.
 __ ~=-.
I .~----~ ~----~I

DaNDO -=--=--=m
~_=8~W_--_' i _*
__ i ~

J1l n i ij)i n
RESPONSE CALL
1 i I I I

~-O 'JOIf
~

-----j,
*
~=8=w===-===_m_. _; _1_' f]g: J~. J. *JE.OJ. OJ
I
Begin with low- and medium-pitched uugbe
tones' ga de ga . ga .. ' played between bass
drum and high tom, and high-pitched 'tsa'
strokes as snare cross sticks. You can also
divide the low-high tones between low and
high toms, as on Gadzo DVD ensemble 7
and DVD 17 for uugbe exzmple 4.

N ow stretch the left hand and bass drum

rhythms into a duple feel over the triple feel
of the cymbal timeline with high hat on two
and four, similar to the way West African
drummers pull the rhythms over the bell
cycle. When these phrases feel strong create
your own patterns and improvised spaces
that can spark a dialogue with a soloist.
 A
n go the drama of summoning the

I divinity Adzogbo is part of an intense

interaction of dancers, drummers, and
singers. Changes in devotional activities
and the music are cued by the master
drummer through the drum language of
atsimeuu. There are many episodes with
multiple dialogues in sequence, each
with its own dance movements and drum
rhythms. The episodes may be played one
or more times.
In one, the heightened action begins with
atsimevu playing 'gi de ... dza. dza. dza
... ki . (ka) . ki . (ka) . ki . (ka);' in Eve, Mi
va, du gba dzi (pronounced meez vahz dool
gbahljeez)' meaning 'Everyone come to the
druming area.' Kidi and sogo continue their
basic pattern.

This rhythm is repeated until the right

emotional moment when atsimevu signals a
change in its last statement with a series of
'gi de' strokes - Mi va (spoken as meezvahz)
'Everyone come' - and moves to 'ga de .
ki . de . de . ga . gi de ki . .. de. de . ga,'
representing Eduwo kel] mi va ne mia kp'Jwo,
mi va ne (vocalized as ehz dooz woh3 kegn3
mee3 vahz nehz meeah3 kpwohz' mee3 vah2
nehz) or 'Everyone (the entire village)
come to see them (the warriors, dancers,
and musicans).' Kidi and sogo respond to
the atsimevu phrase with four open tones
reinforcing the word 'kp'Jwo' played as 'ki'
on the lead drum. The four open strokes are
followed by eight mutes.

A final kp'Jwo, dugbadzi (sounded as

kpwoh2, dool gbahl jeez)leads to another
dialogue expressing a vigorous dance
movement. Atsimevu speaks a series of 'dzi
. dza . ' sounds representing the Eve Gbedzi
(pronounced gbehzjee3), 'Our lives are their
mission.' This is answered by a series of
kidi and sogo open (coinciding with the
atsimevu sound 'dzi') and mute (coinciding
with atsimevu's 'dza') tone pairs that
intensify the ensemble by creating a duple
twelve- or six-beat feel within the timeline.
This episode can be repeated as needed to
invoke spirits.

NYAME, BIRIBI WO ~ORO NAMA EMBEKAME N~A

GOD, THERE l~ SOMETHING IN THE HEAVENS, LET
IT REACH ME
 OPEN REPEAT

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

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

KIDI/SOCO~=tl' ~

=d J. J. J J. J. J. J. J. I
GAl) -=-=tr'_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-~_-_-_-_-_-_ -~_ -_-_-_-_-_ -_-_-_~~.

ATSI J=j. i Ji j j ~ ffl.

i Bi i B~~
K/S

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

ATSI ~. i Ji j j ~ jf~J
i i Ji 3 r: i

K/S
GAl] ~ ~. J. ~ ~. J. ~ ~. J. I

ATS! ~. Y ;p i ] i $==, ==-:::::=i ;p

i fi ] i ffi
"IS

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

ATSI~' yjiji~~' ~i~i~iji~i~

kp:Jwo, du gba dzi. Gbe dzi, gbe dzi, gbe dzi,

"IS

GAl) ~ ~. J. ~ ~. J. J ~. J. I
ATS! ~

gbe
i ~ i ~ i
dzi, gbe dzi,
j i ~ i
gbe
j
dzi,
i ~ i ~ i ~ i
gbe dzi, gbe
j:
dzi!
fi iB Mi

"IS
You can also adapt this Ago episode in a
more literal manner, reflecting the tones of
atsimeuu among snare and toms, kidi and
sogo voices on bass drum, the gaI]kogui
timeline on cymbal, and the axatse pulse
as high hat foot strokes. For the final
Gbedzi sequence, keep the alternating high
tom and bass drum couplets to mirror
the Adzohu Ago ensemble's intensity.
Changing high hat foot strokes from dotted
quarters to quarter notes, as in the video,
brings a twelve-beat layer over the basic
eight-beat Ago feel, similar to the texture
ofaxatse variations. This is another intense
sequence that works best in a solo or high-
energy ensemble music.
 AKOBEN
WAR HORN - A (ALL TO ARMS