“Drums are heartbeat. Drums refresh my spirit as I go through this craziness in this world. Drums are culture. Drums are history. Drums are our story. Drums the are the beginning and might be the end too.”

“The beats are old. The KuKu rhythm is a celebration when people go out on the coast to fish and to come back safe. Another is a Nigerian celebration rhythm. I started playing drums in middle school at Booker T. Washington, then started picking up on the bongos and congos and then started learning the history of drums. As I traveled, African brothers introduced me to the djembe.”

“What does it feel like when you are playing off of each other?”

“It feels like peace and harmony.”

“This is our first time to play together. I can hear what he is doing and can tell when it is time to cut in. We are counting.”

“It is mathematics. Music is a language between musicians. This is the first time we have played together, but this is a language we both relate to. You could do it. I can give you a rhythm and you hold it, then I play another rhythm, but you have to listen and have the discipline to hold where you are. After a while, you see where there is a space open and you go into that space. You get in where you fit in. That is music. It doesn’t happen overnight. It ain’t magic, it is mathematics.”

“I haven’t sat down and just played like that in a while, brother. I appreciate it. I feel refreshed now.”