“Batterie of the West Wind (For Nina and Miriam)”, stems from the existence of collections Drum considered to be “families”, within some musical traditions of the African diaspora. This grouping...
“Batterie of the West Wind (For Nina and Miriam)”, stems from the existence of collections Drum considered to be “families”, within some musical traditions of the African diaspora. This grouping would usually occur in a low, medium, high tone combination, also seen as father, mother, child. The French term “batterie” is used to refer to these Drum families in Haiti, which as we know has a strong connection to New Orleans. Due to the outlawing of drums in most parts of the South , this tradition/arrangement was somewhat changed when it arrived to the US, eventually manifesting in the creation of drum set, a New Orleans innovation that sought to meet the economic demands of the professional musician, but also perhaps the collective urge of the drum instrument itself.
These pieces relate to my larger body of work in that they continue my efforts to create a kind of mythology around the origins of Black Music, as well as efforts to highlight the role and function of Black Music, which doe relate to entertainment and capital, but also scientific disciplines of physics, mathematics, medicine, and psychology.