New School Jazz Artist-in-Residence Randy Weston says
that he and many other jazz performers play the piano like a drum: “The
drum never left us”, he says, referring to the influence of the drum
and his African heritage. This session will address that tradition as it
has traveled throughout Africa, to the Caribbean, South America, and
the United States, and will include a conversation among the
participants moderated by renowned drumset artist Lewis Nash,
demonstrations and a performance by the group, along with Randy Weston
(piano) and Alex Blake (bass).
Featuring performances by master drummers Candido (Cuba), Bonga
Including a screening of FOLI: There is no Movement without Rhythm (2010), a film by Thomas Robbers and Floris Leeuwenberg. Color, 11mins.
Life has a rhythm, it’s constantly moving.
The word for rhythm ( used by the Malinke tribes ) is FOLI.
It is a word that encompasses so much more than drumming, dancing or sound.
It’s found in every part of daily life.
In this film you not only hear and feel rhythm but you see it.
It’s an extraordinary blend of image and sound that
feeds the senses and reminds us all how essential it is.
– Thomas Roebers
