The dance performance in each city began with music, selected by the local choreographers, that was pertinent to their site. The second half of each dance was performed to music that was the same world-wide. On 2011, the Steering Committee announced the music for the global section of our world-wide performances and delivered a sound track created from the music of Mystic Warriors and the music of Marcus Wise.
Marcus Wise
website for Marcus Wise
The sound track will begin with a musical composition written especially for the Global Water Dances by tabla player Marcus Wise. Next we will have Andean pieces from Mystic Warriors. We are very happy to have the services of such eminent global musicians, revered in their fields.
Marcus Wise is an accomplished tabla player who conjures exotic rhythms and endless soundscapes from his drums. He has performed in concerts of traditional East Indian music and dance and has collaborated on many cross-cultural projects, including concerts with Robert Bly, Coleman Barks and Steve Tibbetts. Marcus credits the foundation for his musical explorations within the rich universe of tabla, to his years of study under the loving guidance of Ustad Diam Ali Qadri – one of the greatest exponents of the Farrakhabad School of Tabla Drumming.
The tabla drum is used in popular and devotional music, with a vast lineage and teaching repertoire in Indian classical music. The instrument consists of two hand drums of contrasting sizes and timbres. The term ‘tabla is derived from an Arabic word, tabl, which simply means drum. Playing technique involves extensive use of the fingers and palms in various configurations to create a wide variety of different sounds.
The tabla player Marcus Wise was asked to create a piece using the metaphor of rain. Guided by images of colors and an approaching storm, Marcus Wise focused on music that would support the dancers’ rhythms. “I wanted to play through the ears of a dancer.” His short piece begins slowly and builds in intensity, “all with the idea that these are percussive water modules dropping from the sky.”
Mystic Warriors
website for Mystic Warriors
The other part of our GWD global music section is a band, Mystic Warriors, that performs internationally. They play Andean Music in their own unique style that delivers a message of universal peace and harmony transmitted by the combination of ancestral Incan flutes and panpipes with contemporary instruments. Mystic Warriors was founded by Andres and Marco Mallea in 1993. In a phone interview with GWD, Marco said that he was honored to have been asked to be part of this global effort, and is pleased that their Andean Music will be a platform that supports dance around the world.
Mystic Warriors have recorded five CD’s and one DVD, and have received an award for the best International Folk and World Music Group. They have recorded music for various National Geographic documentaries as well as other universities’ documentaries on the Andes. Marco Mallea not only plays the guitar in the band, he also runs Highland Records (see their website: http://www.highlandrecords.com). Brother Andres plays the panpipes, (Zampoñas or Sikus) which are typically made from bamboo shoots, but have also been made from Condor feathers, bone, and many other materials. Different types of bamboo are employed to change the quality of the sound, with a shallow wall producing louder and more resonant notes. The panpipes are split across two rows of pipes, where the player must alternate rows with every note in order to play a complete scale.
Afrodrumming
http://www.afrodrumming.com/
http://www.afrodrumming.com/music-store.php
Afrodrumming was made for all you African drumming and djembe enthusiasts, hobbyists and professionals. It was set up in 2009 by Al Paton, percussionist and djembe teacher with the world’s largest interactive drumming company.
Kwassa written and performed by Robert Paddock and Al Paton. Courtesy of Afrodrumming.