Drums For One and All - Drum Log Blog Page

ENTRY: 18 Jan 08
EVENT: FPCDRUMS! Drum Circle
PLACE: First Parish Church in Stow MA
ROLE: Participant
A few years back, I was contacted by a man named Peter Fiske, who was interested in learning about what is involved in starting and facilitating a drum circle. At the time, I provided him with a pamphlet that I had written on this subject, and he also came down to Milford to sit in with our monthly circle to see how we operated. I lost track of Peter shortly after that time, but we ran into each other again at an Arther Hull facilitator's "playshop" in Concord last year (2007). He was glad to tell me that he had followed through with his intention to get a circle going and I promised that I would drop in soon to get a taste of what his circle was like. Well, I finally got a chance to make that visit this month.

The First Parish Church drum circle is still a fledgling group, but they have some talented and enthusiastic members who have formed the nucleus of a circle that I'm sure will continue to grow as long as Peter is able to continue promoting it. Peter started the group off with a simple hand-clapping pattern which people embellished upon. Then we jumped right into a clave-based rhythm, which was a little more challenging, but folks got the hang of it pretty quickly and we jammed on that for a while. As the evening progressed, the rounds became more and more free-style, with folks changing instruments and the rhythms morphing on the fly. To wrap up the evening, Peter started us on a classic heartbeat pulse, which the group then built up into a solid groove that rose in intensity and then gradually tapered down to a smooth ending. Most people went home at that point, but a few of us still left standing wanted to do one last jam, and this was the real treat of the night, because we were the die-hard drummers who had a good handle on how to improvise. Big circles are often great in their own way, but nothing can beat a small ensemble of players who are really tuned into each other and are listening carefully for opportunities to dialog. The four of us did just that, and it was a blast.

So, continued good luck to Peter and his Stow circle. Keep the groove growing!

ENTRY: 17 Jan 08
EVENT: Drum-enChant
PLACE: The Enchanted Fox in Medway MA
ROLE: Co-facilitator
The theme Eva and I chose for the first Drum-enChant gathering of 2008 was focused on the concept of the Six Directions as a form of guidance for how we might choose our personal path for the new year ahead of us. In the Native American tradition, each of the Six Directions (East, South, West, North, Earth Below, Sky Above) is ascribed certain attributes that are significant for a given time of year or a phase in one's life, etc. We structured the evening so that we would call upon each of the directions and then dedicate a chanting round that fit in with that direction's key attributes. Sometimes we would drum with the chant, other times we would just let the chant stand alone. We also did some drumming-only rounds so that people could get into the meditative space that comes when you surrender to the rhythm without having to think about words or notes. We usually include some time in the ceremony to focus on healing, and the twist that we added this time was to have people write a short letter to themselves -- either as a form of self encouragement or a wish for what they would like to change or heal. The letters were sealed in self-addressed envelopes that Eva will save for 6 months - just long enough for people to forget about them - and then she'll mail them back to the writers. It'll be interesting to see how people will respond to this "message in a bottle" form of prayer. After a final drumming round that really brought got us all into a deeper state of group awareness, we formed a circle of hands and sang a chant for peace towards the final direction - the Center. As always, we are grateful to the people who attend these circles, because they help us in our intention to bring a little more light to the world.

ENTRY: 12 Jan 08
EVENT: Tribe Earth Drum Circle
PLACE: Free Spirit studio in Warren RI
ROLE: Participant
It seems I've recently become a regular at the Warren circle for two reasons: 1) the drumming is great and 2) a group of belly dancers have also started coming to this circle on a regular basis. I can have a lot of fun at a drums-only circle, but when you combine drumming with talented dancers, everything gets bumped up an energetic notch or two. And this gathering was no exception.

Once we got the rhythms rolling and the dancers took to the floor, it was easy to just keep on going and going, like a crazed Energizer Bunny with a djembe. In particular, the members of the Osiris and Triple Goddess dance troupe were the focal point of the dancing expertise, as well as two of their good friends from the RI dancing community. It was a real pleasure to synchronize the drumming with the movements of the dancers and see them respond in kind. For most of the evening, facilitators Allan and Jaime kept to the big drums, but later on, they shifted to djembes and other people got a chance to try their hand at the djuns and the pow wow drum (myself included). But as midnight was drawing near, and it appeared that the circle was winding down, we shifted into a nice quiet round of drumming with Allan adding vocalizations to the slow pulse. It was a note for me to bow out on. I'm not sure if they continued with their usual Sacred Sounding, but I for one was deeply satisfied with the experience as it stood.

ENTRY: 05 Jan 08
EVENT: The Grafton Drum Circle
PLACE: UU Church in Grafton MA
ROLE: Participant
As you can see, I was determined to hit the ground running in 2008 by cramming in a bunch of drumming right from the git-go. Next stop on the trail was the Grafton drum circle, which is akin to the DFOA FreeDrum, in that it is totally free-style, with only loose facilitation by leader Susan West. Again, I was a little late in arriving, but the circle was in full swing, even though the turnout was a bit lighter than I've seen in previous visits. Plenty of familiar faces though, including Susan, Steve, Willy, Anna, Russ, Brad and a few other new drummers. The Grafton circle tends to draw in parents with kids, so that does add an element of chaos that the other drummers have to rise above. But this time, the kids were actually playing productively and mostly in time with the adults. Not to say that the adults are always playing in time, but that's part of the fun that makes a community drum circle the organic entity that it is. With Willy to inspire us, we did get some free-form body movement and dance happening in the circle to accompany the grooves. We also had some nice, quiet interludes where people felt free to experiment with the pile of percussion toys that Susan provides at the center of the circle. We rounded out the night with a wonderful heartbeat pulse played by Russ on the djuns while the rest of us toned and added a melange of textures with a variety of instruments.

That was a nice way to end my three day drumming marathon. I could have gone for a fourth day by seeking out a circle on Sunday, but my hands were telling me I'd had enough, so it was time to give 'em a rest.

Oh, I almost forgot. Eva and I had been invited to take part in the open house of the new wellness center that Nancy Anger was opening after the loss of her yoga studio in the Bernat Mill fire last year. Eva and I used to hold our Drum-enChant gatherings in Nancy's studio (called YogaWorks), but since the fire, we relocated to the Enchanted Fox in Medway. Nancy isn't one to be slowed down by setbacks, so she was able to rebound pretty quickly by moving into a great new space in Uxbridge which she is now calling State of Grace.

So that day, after all the free yoga classes and massage sessions were over, Eva and I were to offer a blessing ceremony to help inaugurate the new space. We essentially did a mini-version of our Drum-enChant circle, taking time to smudge the main yoga studio with sage and then doing three rounds of chanting with accompanying Eva on frame drum. It was nice to be part of launching a fresh enterprise for a capable business woman and teacher such as Nancy, and we wish her all the success in her new venture.

ENTRY: 04 Jan 08
EVENT: Amherst Drum & Dance
PLACE: Munson Public Library, South Amherst MA
ROLE: Participant
It's been a long time since I made the trip out to Amherst to take part in their monthly gathering. But now that the Cambridge D&D has shut down, Amherst is the only regular event in MA that maintains a similar level of drumming and dancing energy. Having a lot of liberal-minded college students in the local area is the fuel that keeps the Amherst fires burning, and the January gathering was no exception.

I showed up about a half hour late, and already the place was rocking. The library hall is about half the size of the one in Cambridge, but they still manage to pack in about 40 drummers and 40 dancers (hard to tell how many there really is). It was a cold, clear night outside, but in that hall it was SWEATY. Everyone is focused on giving everything to the groove. The drummers are cranking away full bore and the dancers are pulsating and gyrating on the floor like it was a techno rave. I took up my place in the back row with my djun djun and just helped to hold down the bottom end, occasionally lending a little time-keeping guidance on the woodblock when things got wobbly. Martin Bridge and his wife Asherah are the key organizers in Amherst, but they don't do much to steer the evenings proceedings, other than Martin's beat on the djuns or bells and Asherah's leadership during the community talking time at the break. I like that they also make space for the drumming to take a rest while people are able to tone or chant or sing or play flutes and other quiet instruments. But it doesn't take too long before the drummers get antsy and the beat starts creeping back in. Before you know it, it's a full blown dance jam again.

For many people in eastern MA, it would be a long drive to get out to Amherst. But if you hunger for high energy drumming and dancing, this is the place to go. Just be sure to bring your earplugs!

ENTRY: 03 Jan 08
EVENT: DFOA FreeDrum
PLACE: Unitarian Universalist Church of Milford MA
ROLE: Facilitator
It was a bitterly cold night, so I was concerned that people would opt to stay home. I was pleasantly surprised that our usual core of regulars were not deterred by the chill and made a great showing for what was probably the first drum circle to be held in eastern MA for the year 2008. Since we had been kinda cold up in the church sanctuary last month, I figured we'd be better off down in the basement this time around, where at least we have a smaller space and access to the thermostat. But the group generated plenty of its own heat that night.

So aside from the usual energetic and inventive drum jams, we had a double treat this month: two flute players and two didge players! I don't think we actually had all four instruments going at once, but for one round, we had the flutes on either side of the circle trading phrases back and forth, and then for another segment, we had the didges on opposing sides, creating a combined drone that was really earthy and deep. And to add icing to the rhythmic cake, we had our own whirling dervish - Willy - creating his customary energetic vortex by spinning around the outside perimeter of the circle.

In classic style, we got our bombstic stuff out of our systems in the first half of the evening, then settled down a bit for more introspective and meditative grooves that finally ended the evening on a beautiful mantra-like quiet pulse with vocal toning. Thanks to everyone who braved the cold to make for a great FreeDrum.

ENTRY: 29 Dec 07
EVENT: DFOA Drumming Workshop
PLACE: Unitarian Universalist Church of Joliet, Illinois
ROLE: Facilitator
So of all the places to travel great distances to give a drumming workshop, why Joliet Illinois? Well, the fact is, I would be there anyway, since my family converges there to spend the holidays at my sister's place in that town. She is a member of the local UU church where there are a number of people who enjoy hand drumming, so this is the 2nd year that I've been asked to give a drumming workshop at this church. And what fun it was...

The turnout was excellent, about 25 people ranging from kids to seniors. I did the usual drum tune-up and introductory training on hand technique for African drums and frame drums and other kinds of percussion, fielding lots of good questions along the way. Then we embarked on a series of specific rhythms, starting with the most simple Middle Eastern ones, and working our way up to some more complex African ones. Along the way, we had some fun doing some rounds which were like guided meditations, using the drums to evoke images and moods. AFter the teaching segment was completed, we shifted gears into "drum and dance" mode, and we just cut loose with some lively rhythms that got folks up and moving around the circle. After burning off a lot of steam, the drumming slowed down, dissolved and then broke into a rumble and a roar and howl and we ended on a BANG!

ENTRY: 20 Dec 07
EVENT: New Beginnings Drum Workshop
PLACE: Congregational Church of Wellesley Hills MA
ROLE: Facilitator
I'm glad to say that I have a fan in Liz Kalber, an older woman with a wonderful spark for life. She is a member of New Beginnings, a support group that meets weekly in Wellesley Hills, and she had asked if I would be interested in leading an introductory drumming workshop for the group. I was happy to oblige, even if the weather wasn't. I got there just barely in time, and while the group leader introduced me, I piled my drums into the circle and launched into my usual routine for getting a group of people playing together in time and with dynamics. I talked a bit about the different drums and about hand technique and fielded some questions, but just as I was about to have the group do some more drumming, I was informed that we were out of time! I knew it was going to be a short session, and because we started a few minutes late, the remaining time zipped by and was over before we really even got anywhere. I hope I'll get an opportunity to go back again soon so that we can get more into the fun of playing rhythms without spending so much time on introducing the drums.

ENTRY: 15 Dec 07
EVENT: Earth Drum & Dance
PLACE: First Congregational Church in Cambridge MA
ROLE: Participant
There's a lot of history connected with the Cambridge Drum & Dance gathering that goes back long before I even knew what drum circles were all about. However, as I got to know more about the drumming community in New England, I learned that this monthly event was at the epicenter of all that was happening. At its peak, the event drew a crowd of over 100 drummers and dancers, which was enough to bump their schedule up to every other week. It was high energy. It was sweaty. It was LOUD! But it was the place to be if you were into African rhythms, free-style dance and Earth-based ritual.

Since those heady days, much has changed. Many of the regulars have moved on. The energy has spread out and planted seeds in communities further away from the heart of Boston. As hard as it was for Jimi and Morwen Two Feathers to admit it, the time had come to let go of the reigns and step away from their long-held position as key facilitators and organizers. To mark the very last gathering of the Cambridge Drum & Dance, they had one final blowout, which also served as their celebration of the Winter Solstice.

Even though attendance at the D&D had been very small in previous months, this event inspired folks to come out of the woodwork, many from long distances. Once again, we were able to experience that thrill of driving rhtyhms and ecstatic dancers. Aside from a couple of breaks for announcements, the drums kept pushing out the grooves and the floor was alive with moving bodies.

It was a treat for me to see a number of people I knew from various circles who had also come out for one last taste of what this event was capable of. It was wonderful to join hands in the circle and look around at all the faces and hear their words of gratitude to Jimi and Morwen and those who had lead the charge in the past. When midnight rolled around and it was time to wrap it up, the air was still vibrating with the charge of everyone's excitement, while also tinged with the sadness that we might not share that same experience in that space ever again.

But this too shall pass, and from old endings shall somehow come new beginnings. Whatever they may be...

ENTRY: 08 Dec 07
EVENT: Tribe Earth Drum Circle
PLACE: Free Spirit center in Warren RI
ROLE: Participant
Since my last visit to with the Tribe Earth Drum Circle was so enjoyable, I decided to get another fix. I was already running behind, just coming from my company's holiday party, so by the time I arrived in Warren, the first rounds of drumming were already over and the small gathering was socializing when I walked in. After saying HI and settling in, we launched into a high energy groove (out come the earplugs!).

This circle favors extended drumming rounds, which I like because it gives me plenty of chances to experiment with alternate percussion, of which I always bring a bag of rhythm toys with me. But after this round tapered off and we spent our requisite moment of silence to bask in the after-resonance, I shifted over to frame drum and started playing an Arabic-flavored pattern using finger technique to add some intricacy. Just at the moment the circle started to pick up on this new groove, in walks a group of four women and a guy who were new to the circle. One woman was wearing a long robe-like coat, which she quickly cast off to reveal a full belly dancer outfit. She was on the floor in no time, shimmying and spinning around with the drums. The mood in the room was instantly transformed in only the way that comes from mutual inspiration - the drummers get lit up by the dancers, and the dancers get lit up by the drummers - and things just take off. Two of the other women, while not in costume, draped jingle sashes (what is the real name for these things?) around their hips joined in the swirling gyrations. I later found out that the circle facilitators, Jaime and Allan were concerned that the turnout was so light that evening, but they were blown away when these new people showed up from out of the blue and really made the night for all of us.

I gather that the first dancer knew Kevin Smith, a facilitator from the Cumberland Drum & Dance, and he had invited them to check out the circle in Warren. Networking pays off! The dancers had just come from performing at the Providence restaurant "India" and were still filled with enthusiasm for the dance. My understanding is that that they are part of a dance troupe called Triple Goddess, which is an offshoot of the group Goddess Coyle (not sure if I've got the details right). Either way, it was wonderful to witness their dancing expertise for the last hour of the D&D portion of the evening.

As it got close to midnight, and the dancing party went on their way, the rest of us settled down for the Sacred Sounding portion of the night. The last time I took part, it was strictly a vocal experience - all toning and chanting. But this time, Allan, Jaime and his wife brought out their collection of gongs, singing bowls, crystal bowls, bells, chimes and other pure sounding instruments. We made ourselves comfortable on the floor, some wrapped snuggly in blankets (it gets chilly in there). We started with a simple ringing of a crystal bowl and a low pulse of frame drum to ease us into the meditative zone that was to take us on quite a sonic and spiritual journey.

With the drone of a singing bowl filling the room, we layered in other textures with our voices and bells and shakers. The intensity grew in waves as Allan performed a kind of free-form chanting that was evocative of a shaman in a trance. For me, I straddled the line between wanting to actively experiment with weaving the aural tapestry while at the same time just being carried along on the tide of energy that was washing through the space. For moments, I was very much out of my body, and at other times I was conscious of my place and my thoughts. As the waves subsided, the energy calmed back down to the quietness that finally ended the same way it began with Allan tapping softly on the crystal bowl, calling us back into the present. Now that I am becoming familiar with how the sacred sounding works, I think I'll be able to surrender to it even more fully in the future, so that my personal journey can be even deeper and further.

ENTRY: 06 Dec 07
EVENT: DFOA FreeDrum
PLACE: UU church, Milford MA
ROLE: Facilitator
Ever since I made the conscious decision to relenquish control over the Milford drum circle, it has blossomed into the free-spirited event that I hoped it would become. Yet again, the folks who attended the December gathering proved how much more inventive they can be as an improvisational ensemble, as opposed to me trying to invent things for others to work with. We talked a bit at the beginning about how the group preferred to keep the tradition of a short meditation before the drumming starts, as a way of getting us all centered and ready to groove. And if I start that first drumming round, that gets us off and running on firm territory before we start branching out into whatever alternate paths the participants feel like exploring. So I guess I'm still retaining a bit of the facilitator's role in that I am the catalyst that gets the reaction going and keeps the brew bubbling. But once the chemistry is cooking, it takes on a life of its own that can fly without the help of air traffic control. The other request from the group was to make sure that we take time out from the drumming to socialize, something I've always felt was crucial to making the drum circle feel like a community activity, rather than an interactive musical performance.

Our first round of the night was a somewhat schizophrenic foray which was generally a 6/8 African pattern, but it kept launching into tangents. After about 20 minutes of this, the group suddenly found its stride and snapped into a groove that made it clear that we were finally on the same page and playing together as a unit. This is a common thing for the first round, and sometimes it takes only minutes, sometimes it doesn't happen til the 2nd or 3rd drum rounds before the group gels. But once we got there, we had the fuel to carry us into deeper rhythmic realms with confidence.

Once again, we experimented with amplifying the flutes and the didges, this time with more success than last month, but we still haven't got it down to a science yet. Thanks to everyone for their patience while we futzed around with mics and levels and EQ to get something functional. But what a cool sound to have the growling drone of the didge clearly heard with the drums, or the soft, warm tones of the flute blending with our tribal beats!

But it's when the lights go out after our social break and the circle turns to the glow of the candles that we really start to let our hair down and take chances with things that don't necessarily fit the mold of the "standard" drumming behavior. We seem more content to exchange complex rhythms for more sustained primal beats as we get out of our heads into our bodies more. Chants start to work their way into the mix, and soon we're harmonizing, sometimes with the root note of the didge for a really rich texture. One lass who was a bit chilly got up to move around a bit, and in moments we had several people up doing spontaneous but well choreographed line dance moves that made them look like the horn section of a hot swing band. Someone started clapping hands to the beat, and in no time, the whole ensemble shifted to synchopated hand clapping in a conga line that snaked around the circle and even around the sanctuary. Then, as if on cue from some unseen director, we all clicked out of clapping mode and back into drumming mode - perfectly seamless and smooth. I think we succeeded in warming up the chilly lass!

When the last heartbeat pulse of the night faded into silence, and we were left gazing at the yellow candle flames in the darkness, there wasn't a face that wasn't smiling in that circle. Vive le FreeDrum!

ENTRY: 19 Nov 07
EVENT: Northboro Drum Circle
PLACE: Parish House, UU church, Northboro MA
ROLE: Participant
Back on the road again, this time to visit Debbie Clarke's circle in Northboro. When I arrived shortly after the circle started, the group was engaged in a game that was intended to introduce everyone by making their names part of the rhythm that was being passed around the circle. This is part of the playful approach that Debbie takes in facilitating her gathering. She is very inventive in coming up with ways to get people listening to each other and interacting with each other, some of which is an offshoot of her training with Arthur Hull, some of which is her own distinctive style. She starts the evening off with rhythmic games to orient the group, but as people start to pull together and get used to playing as an ensemble, she allows the improvisation to gradually take over until by the end of the evening, the group has essentially shifted into self-guided free-style mode.

I like that Debbie takes time to have people play just with small percussion instruments so they can hear the textures that are possible beyond just playing on African drums. So often, an entire drum circle will be comprised of djembe players, that the sound is powerful, but one dimensional. Debbie understands the value in getting people to branch out to other instruments to create a more exciting and diverse balance of timbres that include bells, shakers, woodblocks, frame drums etc.

The Northboro circle is a very warm and playful group that usually has some youngsters involved. Sometimes kids can bring an element of chaos to a drum circle that can be tricky to absorb. But in this case, the kids are attentive and active participants in making the circle sound good. My hat's off to Debbie for bringing together a wonderful group of drummers and keeping the positive vibes rolling.

ENTRY: 15 Nov 07
EVENT: Drum-enChant
PLACE: Enchanted Fox, Medway MA
ROLE: Co-facilitator
In October's Drum-enChant, Eva and I created an evening based around the theme of gratitude for Nature's bounty in the time of harvest. In addition to our usual mix of drumming and chanting rounds, we also wove in a series of simple rituals that would help the group to celebrate the season. For last night's November gathering, we continued the theme, but chose to dispense with much of the ritual so that we could focus primarily on the drumming and chanting as a means of deeping the experience, and I believe we acheived that goal quite nicely.

The evening started off with our usual intro and smudging to establish the sacred circle. Then we embarked on the "energy curve" that Eva and I often employ, which means ramping the energy in the circle up to a peak and then tapering back down to a peaceful, contemplative finish where everyone is well grounded and balanced. The 12 people who attended seemed more than willing to join us on this spiritual journey, and for the next two hours, the room was bathed in the vibrations that we stirred up together. Like riding a strong but gentle wave, our voices and drumming rose in intensity and exhilaration to the point where we were all infused with the sensation of connection and mutual support. Then gradually, we brought ourselves down from the heights, settling our feet back on the earth with calming and centering chants that left us all smoothed out and smiling.

It was great to see folks driving from all over eastern MA and RI to come to the Enchanted Fox for this monthly event, especially on a night when the weather was kinda crummy. With that kind of positive response, Eva and I look forward to the December gathering, which mostly likely will take place on the 2nd Thursday, rather than the usual 3rd Thursday. Stay tuned for details.

ENTRY: 10 Nov 07
EVENT: Warren Drum Circle
PLACE: Free Spirit, Warren RI
ROLE: Attendee
The tour continues! I hadn't been to the Warren circle in over a year, and even though it's only a bit closer than Fairhaven, it's still worth the trip. Co-facilitators Jaime Poyant and Allan Stone have all the right elements for a spiritually-oriented circle that retains a freestyle vibe that allows the participants to take part in steering the way the evening takes shape. The "structure" of the night is two basic parts: 1) a straight-ahead drum-and-dance segment that goes from 8:00pm to about 11:30pm and 2) a "sacred sounding" portion that goes until that vaguely defined time when people decide they've either reached nirvana or are nodding off.

When I arrived at around 8:30, the circle was already fired up, but still in its early stages of development. Jaime and Alan have a wonderful collection of drums that include a set of three floor-mounted djuns and an enormous pow-wow drum. These are the drums that really anchor the circle and propel it forward, and if you like big bottom (from drums, that is) you should try your hand at playing these drums -- BOOM! The floor is open for dancing around the central altar, which several people indulged in, including me at one point. In between drumming rounds, which can get rather bombastic at times, the group sits silently, resonating in the energy that each round has raised. Then, softly, gently, something will start stirring again, and people will begin to make sounds with their instruments: scratching, swishing, tapping. Somewhere out of that rustling, a pattern will emerge which is the seed for the next drumming round. It builds and takes shape and grows in size, intensity and complexity until at last the circle is back into full swing again.

At the transition point of the gathering, many of the people head home, but a few night owls stick around to delve into the next phase of the evening. I had been to the Warren circle a number of times before, but had never stayed for the sacred sounding, so this was fresh territory for me. I didn't know what to expect, but figured it would take its form in an organic way, based on what people felt like co-creating. Some of us had gathered around the altar in silence, and into that space, I started toning. One by one, each person added in their own tone, either in unison or in harmony with the fundamental note. The waves of vocalizations rose and fell and swirled as we added and subtracted voices at various pitches and modulations of the timbre that created harmonics that soared above the actual notes we were singing. One woman (Karen?) began to chant in Sanskrit over the toning, and that brought even more depth to the palette of sound. I don't know how long this went on, since good toning has a tendency to make time become meaningless. All in know is that it was beautiful for as long as it lasted, and when it was over, we knew we were done for the night and it was exactly all that it needed to be.

Afterwards, I asked Jaime if that was a typical experience for the sacred sounding, and he said it was in essense, although they don't usually do it all with voices. They often use singing bowls or crystals to evoke the sustained tones, so I'll have to go back again to see how it can unfold differently.

ENTRY: 04 Nov 07
EVENT: MetroWEst Community Drum Circle
PLACE: Plymouth Church, Framingham MA
ROLE: Attendee
My next stop on the weekend's tour of drum circles was in Framingham. I always enjoy sitting in with John Chiros and the circle he facilitates, because it is very unassuming, casual and intimate. It's not a bombastic or high-intensity circle, but it does have a nice vibe that is welcoming to beginners and advanced players alike. John will often start the group on particular rhythms that he has learned, but then allows the group the freedom to transform the rhythm on the fly, often ending up with something quite different than what he started out with. But that's the wonder of a "lightly facilitated" circle that strikes a comfortable balance between structure and free-style.

There was a gent by the name of Ricardo who had some impressive Latin chops and lead us on a foray into rhumba. As a poor white guy, I confess to suffering from "Downbeat Syndrome", which means my brain is programmed to feel the downbeat on the "one". Latin beats put their emphasis in a different place, making it hard for someone outside that culture to know where the beat starts. And though it is my sworn duty to one day understand how the clave REALLY works, in the meantime I can only play such patterns if someone who knows better gets me started first. Ricardo did just that, so we had a good time grooving on the Rhumba.

Much to my surprise, Marilyn Reed walked in about halfway through the evening and sat down with her drum. She used to attend my DFOA circle in Milford regularly until she moved away to Upstate New York several years ago. She just happened to be passing though on a visit with friends, so it was a great pleasure to reconnect with her before she disappeared again to a place where there are no drum circles (something she misses badly). Start your own circle, Marilyn!

ENTRY: 03 Nov 07
EVENT: Cambridge Drum and Dance
PLACE: Congregational Church, Harvard Square, Cambridge MA
ROLE: Attendee
This was my weekend to network with other local drum circles, so the first trek was to drop in on the Drum & Dance in Cambridge, something I hadn't done in over a year. The Cambridge D&D has the distinction of being the longest running indoor drum circle in the country, and in its heyday was quite a spectacle. Imagine a large room filled with 60 drummers and 40 dancers, all pumping an incredibly intense wave of rhythmic and kinetic energy. It was loud to say the least, but incredibly uplifting because of the over abundance of musical expression. That was some time ago though, and times do change. Some of the regulars branched off to do their own thing. In time the event, which relies mostly on word-of-mouth promotion, began to downsize.

When I walked in last weekend, it was a bit of a shock to see only about 10 drummers in the seats and no dancers on the floor. Granted, it was a crummy night outside, and a few more did arrive after me, but for the most part, the gathering was a mere shadow of its former presence. In one sense, it was nice that the volume wasn't so overwhelming, but the flipside is that the grooves weren't as self-sustaining or as powerful. We did have a few moments when the energy was good, and we did get some dancers bopping about (including me), but the writing on the wall was undeniable: the event must either reinvent itself or fade away.

I give a lot of credit to Jimi and Morwen Two Feathers for holding the torch for 20 years so that the Cambridge D&D would become an established landmark in the New England drumming community. But as their lives have changed, they have reached the point of needing to pass the torch on to a new generation. Heaven knows there's no shortage of drummers in the Boston area, but it will take some time and effort to cultivate a new core of leadership that can support the event into its 3rd decade. The process is taking place right now to make the transition, and one of the steps is to bring in guest facilitators to share the responsibility of guiding the event. I'm pleased to say that I have been asked to be one of those guests in 2008, so please stay tuned for future announcements when I'll be enlisting all the folks I know in the local community to come out for a night of drumming and dancing in the heart of Cambridge.

ENTRY: 01 Nov 07
EVENT: DFOA FreeDrum
PLACE: UU church, Milford MA
ROLE: Facilitator
The evening got off to a pleasant surprise by the early arrival of Alida Santandrea. Alida was a long-time attendee in the Milford circle, but had fallen out of sight for more than a year. Aside from being a regular and enthusiastic member of the circle, Alida brings the additional talent of her lovely playing on Native American style wooden flutes. There's nothing quite like those moments when the circle simmers down to a quiet and meditative groove and then the mellow, warm sound of the flute floats over the muted pulse of the drums. In a darkened, candle-lit room, it's a magical combination. I'm pleased to say that we were able to share in just such a moment in this gathering, now that Alida has returned. Yay!

However, we haven't been entirely without wind-powered instruments in recent months Both Dan Shea and Barry Altshul have graced us at various times with their didgeriedoos, whose deep throaty growls have a symbiotic relationship with the drums that was established back in the dawn of humanity. Well, as fate would have it, we had a perfect storm of Alida, Dan and Barry all arriving with their assorted hollow tubes (and drums too), so I thought this might be a good opportunity to experiment with an idea that's been in the back of my brain for a while.

You see, drums are loud, but flutes and didges ain't. They go well together, but only when the drums are respectful of the limited volume that their melodic counterparts can put out. I have planted the idea that as soon as the group sees someone start to play a flute or didge, the overall volume should drop to give the poor player a fighting chance of being heard. This usually works nicely, but more often than not, the added melody inspires the drummers so that they gradually start to raise the intensity bit by bit until the flute/didge player eventually gets buried.

The church has a PA system which I am familiar with (having installed it myself). So why not make use of the available mics and speakers to amplify the less volumous wind instruments so they can stand up to the drummers without having to bring the beat down to a whisper? We tried it out, and while it did help somewhat, I can see that a whole new technique will have to be developed in order to get the desired result (i,e. where to put the mics, how to preset the gain, etc). I also observed that interesting dynamics arise when people suddenly realize that they have a live mic in front of them, and this will introduce some etiquette issues that we haven't dealt with before. But that's ok; if we can get a bunch of drummers to work well together as an ensemble, we can learn to use mics effectively too.

All in all, it was a decent night of drumming, with lots of good contributions from Barbara & Barbara, Bill, Alida, Jeremy, Barry, Dan and Matt.