Africa (percussion sextet - from Between Zero and One)

One of the works/movements from the concert-length show "Between Zero and One" created in collaboration with New Zealand's Strike Percussion.

In the course of Between Zero and One, this piece became the 'audience participation' experience. And very successfully so, led by the formidable Leni Sulusi.

Looking back I feel lucky that this piece worked as well as it did (I mean, what was I thinking, with the title???). But it was greatly enjoyed by the audience (and by Strike) every time. The image above (left to right) is Murray Hickman, Tim Whitta, Dori Raphael, Takumi Motokawa, Tom Scrase (obscured), and Leni Sulusi front of stage directing the audience.

The SoundCloud audio below is a demo mockup I made for the group. It starts with an amazing discovery we made when workshopping; one player holds a tom-tom at head level, and covers the hole (where the tom stand would enter) with their mouth, creating a vacuum. Another percussionist performs rolls on the drumhead as the first player breaths in and out - creating a rising and falling glissando, similar to a timpanist using the pedal. This was a very cool effect and we created textures of multiple drums being played this way, in the show. It has the added advantage of producing something visually striking in a live performance.