""This book is Dennis's third masterfully written contribution to our recreational drumming community. In this latest book Dennis entices us to delve deeper in the world of culturally specific polyrhythms from the many rhythmacultures on this planet today. These rhythmacultures are still celebrating life through traditional drum, dance, and song and have a lot to teach us how to live and play in the world"" - Arthur Hull (Drummer/Percussionist, Author, Recording Artist, and internationally known as the ""Father of the Modern Drum Circle Movement"". Advanced Beginner/Intermediate Level The Magic of Twelve teaches the concepts of playing polymetric polyrhythms in cycles of twelve including concepts such as playing 4 over 6 pulses. The book includes over thirty full ensemble rhythms from traditional African, Afro Cuban and Afro Haitian sources.

With clear, concise writing and a relaxed--even conversational--style of instruction, Dennis Maberry takes the pressure out of learning to drum . Maberry's practical, step-by-step guide will take any novice from the basics, such as learning the instruments and tones, to beginner and intermediate rhythms. By the end of this book, the reader will have the fundamental knowledge and skills necessary to participate in most recreational drum circles. Drum Circle Grooves is also an effective facilitator's guide, providing insight into simple and comprehensible teaching methods for beginners. Included are over twenty five 'drum circle grooves', drum circle activites based on Universal rhythmic principals, and an introduction to African rhythm concepts.

In a feudal, futuristic Japan, samurai battle to become the No. 1 and rule the world. But when his father, who holds the coveted position, is challenged and killed, the young Afro Samurai vows vengeance. Relentlessly pursued by murderous assassins, will he stay alive long enough to keep his promise? In the first two volumes, witness the beginnings of young Afro’s quest, his battles with an array of assassins and warlords, that climaxes in the epic confrontation with the powerful Empty Seven Clan and a showdown with an old enemy… Celebrating the 15th anniversary of the Afro Samurai anime starring Samuel L. Jackson.

Exploring sounds of the musical rhythms of the Ring Shout and the evocative textures of the Caribbean bomba song and dance, this book presents a comparative musicological and ethnomusicological work that concentrates on the parallel diasporic aspects of history, religion, and music of the Gullah/Geechee and Afro-Latin people. From Ring Shout to Bomba documents how the Gullah/Geechee community has striven to preserve their culture and history throughout the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. It carefully investigates the transcultural links among this United States community along the "Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor" and the Afro-Latin communities from Puerto Rico, Cuba, and Brazil. From Ring Shout to Bomba offers readers past and present archival and ethnographic field research related to these communities by examining their musical and religious customs. It enables audiences to explore the African connections of the Ring Shout with the Latin American and Caribbean "call and response" syncretic religious forms found in Lucumí, Candomblé, and Espiritismo. This book also discusses cultural preservation techniques and reexamines the ethical aspects of both understanding and (re)interpreting Gullah/Geechee and Afro-Latin identities. Such research presents audiences with a different perspective that adds more to the constantly evolving history.

Experiencing Jazz, Second Edition, is an integrated textbook with online resources for jazz appreciation and history courses. Through readings, illustrations, timelines, listening guides, and a streaming audio library, it immerses the reader in a journey through the history of jazz, while placing the music within a larger cultural and historical context. Designed to introduce the novice to jazz, Experiencing Jazz describes the elements of music, and the characteristics and roles of different instruments. Prominent artists and styles from the roots of jazz to present day are relayed in a story-telling prose. This new edition features expanded coverage of women in jazz, the rise of jazz as a world music, the influence of Afro-Cuban and Latin jazz, and streaming audio. Features: Important musical trends are placed within a broad cultural, social, political, and economic context Music fundamentals are treated as integral to the understanding of jazz, and concepts are explained easily with graphic representations and audio examples Comprehensive treatment chronicles the roots of jazz in African music to present day Commonly overlooked styles, such as orchestral jazz, Cubop, and third-stream jazz are included Expanded and up-to-date coverage of women in jazz The media-rich companion website presents a comprehensive streaming audio library of key jazz recordings by leading artists integrated with interactive listening guides. Illustrated musical concepts with web-based tutorials and audio interviews of prominent musicians acquaint new listeners to the sounds, styles, and figures of jazz. Course components The complete course comprises the textbook and Online Access to Music token, which are available to purchase separately. The textbook and Online Access to Music Token can also be purchased together in the Experiencing Jazz Book and Online Access to Music Pack. Book and Online Access to Music Pack: 978-0-415-65935-2 (Paperback and Online Access to Music) Book Only: 978-0-415-69960-0 (please note this does not include the Online Access to Music) Online Access to Music Token: 978-0-415-83735-4 (please note this does not include the textbook) eBook and Online Access to Music Pack: 978-0-203-37981-3 (available from the Taylor & Francis eBookstore) ebook: 978-0-203-37985-1 (please note this does not include the audio and is available from the Taylor & Francis eBookstore)

An introduction and guide to the concepts of facilitating successful community rhythm-based events.

Collected essays exploring the origins and evolution of music and dance in Afro-Atlantic culture

Gateways to Understanding Music explores music in all the categories that constitute contemporary musical experience: European classical music, popular music, jazz, and world music. Covering the oldest forms of human music making to the newest, the chronological narrative considers music from a global rather than a Eurocentric perspective. Each of sixty modular "gateways" covers a particular genre, style, or period of music. Every gateway opens with a guided listening example that unlocks a world of music through careful study of its structural elements. Based on their listening experience, students are asked to consider how the piece came to be composed or performed, how the piece or performance responded to the social and cultural issues at the time and place of its creation, and what that music means today. Students learn to listen to, explain, understand, and ultimately value all the music they may encounter in their world. FEATURES Global scope—Presents all music as worthy of study, including classical, world, popular, and jazz. Historical narrative—Begins with small-scale forager societies up to the present, with a shifting focus from global to European to American influences. Modular framework—60 gateways in 14 chapters allow flexibility to organize chronologically or by the seven recurring themes: aesthetics, emotion, social life, links to culture, politics, economics, and technology. Listening-guided learning—Leads to understanding the emotion, meaning, significance, and history of music. Introduction of musical concepts—Defined as needed and compiled into a Glossary for reference. Consistent structure—With the same step-by-step format, students learn through repeated practice how to listen and how to think about music. In addition to streamed audio examples, the companion website hosts essential instructors’ resources.

Considered by many to be a founder of Afrofuturism, Sun Ra—aka Herman Blount—was a composer, keyboardist, bandleader, philosopher, entrepreneur, poet, and self-proclaimed extraterrestrial from Saturn. He recorded over 200 albums with his Arkestra, which, dressed in Egypto-space costumes, played everything from boogie-woogie and swing to fusion and free jazz. John Szwed's Space is the Place is the definitive biography of this musical polymath, who was one of the twentieth century's greatest avant-garde artists and intellectuals. Charting the whole of Sun Ra's life and career, Szwed outlines how after years in Chicago as a blues and swing band pianist, Sun Ra set out in the 1950s to impart his views about the galaxy, black people, and spiritual matters by performing music with the Arkestra that was as vital and innovative as it was mercurial and confounding. Szwed's readers—whether they are just discovering Sun Ra or are among the legion of poets, artists, intellectuals, and musicians who consider him a spiritual godfather—will find that, indeed, space is the place.

What is the essence of black dance in America? To answer that question, Brenda Dixon Gottschild maps an unorthodox 'geography', the geography of the black dancing body, to show the central place black dance has in American culture. From the feet to the butt, to hair to skin/face, and beyond to the soul/spirit, Brenda Dixon Gottschild talks to some of the greatest choreographers of our day including Garth Fagan, Francesca Harper, Meredith Monk, Brenda Buffalino, Doug Elkins, Ralph Lemon, Fernando Bujones, Bill T. Jones, Trisha Brown, Jawole Zollar, Bebe Miller, Sean Curran and Shelly Washington to look at the evolution of black dance and it's importance to American culture. This is a groundbreaking piece of work by one of the foremost African-American dance critics of our day.