Jim - American Tobaco Solo part 2/ Kalimba piece

Birthday Thoughts ~!

Birthday thoughts - I was thinking about the passing of another year of life. 

This is a year that I am extremely grateful for as I have

now outlived the lifespan of my mother. So reflecting on that, I decided 

I need to continue to create a pathway of things that I 

would like to see happen in the coming year and the coming years. My mother 

wanted so many things for me and I will not waste the

time that she did not have in her life. Thank you mom~!

So here goes if you are interested. I will limit it to personal goals as world peace 

and any number of other great intentions would require a 

much larger theater of life. I want to become a better

artist. I want to always continue to study the many disciplines that 

I am interested in as there are still many

gaps in my knowledge of percussion, music, production, and

various other things. Even though I have accomplished much more 

than some of my dreams as a young teenager in the 1970's,

there is still much more to do and experience. Any help

or opportunity’s that YOU can contribute to that goal would be

most gratefully appreciated fyi. A connection, a gig, a session or 

even a word of encouragement is greatly appreciated. It does 

take a village to raise an adult – ha~!

Secondly, I want to try to be a 

better husband. In my youth, I didn't have a big goal of 

settling down and being married but now that I have made that

decision, I feel that there continues to be a lot to learn about relationships

and about being in a relationship on a day to day basis. I send 

my love and gratitude to my wife Susan. She is my rock and support

and continually creates a home environment of love, 

family and drive. For that I am eternally grateful. Thank you Susan!

But there is more. My spiritual life and my music often have

run in tandem with each other (I’m not sure what is first). The spiritual side of my 

life drives my every decision. Music seems to drive the engine. 

It's almost like there is some greater destiny

as to where music is taking me and to what effect I can 

have on the people around me with my music. Whatever

happens on this note, I just want that it to be positive

when it goes out into the world. I really want to send out

the correct vibe in the world. That is of utmost importance.

That brings me to my current artistic endeavor. This summer, 

I am working daily on my recording project, 

The Tao of Time (pronounced Dao). I translate that to

The “path of time”. I am writing, performing and recording

it entirely on my own. It may have a few extra folks when it 

is done but it is mostly a solitary effort. 

It is a recording which simultaneously

addresses time on multiple levels - the universe or universal

time (planets, particularly earth in the big scheme of things), 

historical time or historical events that have and are

changing time (human issues, wars, inventions etc), 

the time of rhythm as a drummer and the 

history of percussion, my personal rhythm, and the finite amount of time that we all

have as human beings on this planet and how the historical issues affects 

the finite time in which we live.

Okay, that should get you started on my goals.

I’m sure there are more. 

If I could ask anything of any of you, it would be

how to get this project to a broader audience as I would like

to do more than press a 1000, sell 10 and give 900 away. 

Yes, any real ideas would be appreciated. Things like Kickstarter are

Great but I’m a bit too overwhelmed with having to

Do that too by myself. 

Feel free to message me if you have ideas. 

Also, if there is anything that you would ask of me as a

person or a musician, what would it be? I am

interested in that as well. 

Lastly, I would like to continue to find

wonderful musicians or people from ANY other artistic disciplines to 

collaborate with. These are the kinds of things that usually

result in many wonderful things that can't be predicted. As always, 

I wish to see that evolve into more playing opportunities. 

Additionally, if you have an interest in the music of the 60's

and 70's, I would like to invite you to join my "Beyond the Beatles",

group on FB and post or respond to cool stuff of those times. 

It was originally for my former Elon students 

but since 90% them don't really participate in it, it would be great to 

have some people that just want to enjoy and participate in the

group. Just message me from the Beyond the Beatles page and I will add you.

If you have made it to the bottom of this, I would like to thank

you for just being interested enough in me to read this and

indulge my thoughts. I really appreciate it. I feel special. 

Thank you all for my birthday wishes. 

Your thoughts and well wishes mean more than you could

ever know from this formerly insecure child from the 60's and 70's

who has already had many improbable dreams come through, thus 

no longer as insecure. 

This has given me enough confidence to believe that there

is still much much more to come~! I’m just not finished. 

Thank you - I’m ready!

Peace and Love - Jim

The Rolling Stones at 50 - Part of the American Psyche

I was invited to write a post for the triartspark arts blog about the Rolling Stones.  You can read it here!
http://triartspark.com/2013/03/the-rolling-stones-at-50-part-of-the-american-psyche-by-jim-roberts/

20 Years after Africa

My account of the trip that changed me forever

July 7-August 1991

I literally kissed the ground when I got off the plane in Dakar, Senegal. So many months of saving money, planning details and wild expectations had finally come to fruition. As a drummer, I had come to believe that Africa would take me down a rhythmic ride that would propel me into a new sense of belonging, a new sense of understanding. I was not to be disappointed. Everything about that day seemed new: the smell of the air, the flies, the colorful dress, the lines of beggars at the airport, the languages, and the people themselves. I was overcome with excitement. Why had I come to Africa?

I’m not sure what I expected but the experience was certainly different. Dakar was a modern city. Any images of people in the bush in loin clothes had been created by TV or some other stereotype. But there were more important discoveries. These people lived with passion. Many had music of in their daily lives, in the communities’ right where they lived. This was the most beautiful thing that I saw. Weekly, on Sunday afternoon, each neighborhood (every two or three streets) would have a kids dance on the street. A group of Sabar drummers would line up and the mothers would usher up their children 5-10 at time. They would dance for a minute or two and then a new group would come up. This would go on all afternoon. Then they would take a dinner break. A night the adults would return, dressed in their Sunday finest. They would then dance, sing and play in the same manner till late in the evening. To this day it was some the most amazing music that I have ever heard. Sabar is a family of traditional drums found in Senegal, played with one hand and one stick. They are quite loud and can be heard over long distances, thus their use of communicating between villages.

I saw many other things – a pink lake, with such heavy amounts of salt in the water that men would be covered when they came out of the lake. Large piles waited nearby for the trains to carry the salt away. Nearby was an herbal hospital. They treated everything from lepers to Aids. Our tour there was lead by a doctor with a lot of hope even in such a sad place.

Hope was big on the agenda. Everywhere I went, even in the poorest places, people would smile at you like you were their long lost relative. You could literally walk into the front door of someone’s hut and they would greet you like they had been waiting all day to see you. Most of the time, they would invite you to dinner as well. At the time, I was a vegetarian. However, when a family would have me over for dinner, I would eat whatever they served. You see, they had gone to market that morning, many miles away. They would buy food at great expense for their budget and prepare it all afternoon. Then they have me as a guest and serve it in the evening. I would have offended them had I not eaten what they offered. Meat was a luxury and they had gone to great effort to provide it. I got over myself and eat with thankfulness.

The music was why I really wanted to go. At every turn, I heard or saw things that stretched my mind and stirred my emotions. There was the Fulani trope with 50 yards of cloth in each pair of pants. They played hypnotizing, flute music with an incessant rhythm played on gourds. There was the fire eater who also could run fire over his entire body without getting burned. The Fulani music in the background added to the suspense. There were the contortionists; some people were brought out in trunks, accompanied by bougarabou drums, a set of elongated goblet, on a stand, played in sets of 3-5 drums. They are very tonal in nature. A man in a small trunk would slowly unwind out of it. How did he ever fit in a space so small!

A few times I saw Katiero drummers. 3 different sized drums, also played with one hand and one stick like Sabar drums. These were smaller elongated drums that are carried and much lighter than Saber, thus quieter. Beautiful, intricate rhythms with the lilting sound of rhythms done with a stick and hand. They were accompanied with dancing and singing. It was one of many small afternoon parties where the musicians were bathed in money. They would put bills on their foreheads, shoulders and arms while the musicians where playing. We should try that here in the US! Unfortunately, you rarely see these types of drums here and I think they are getting even rarer in West Africa.

Why don’t we see them and other drums here in the US? As one friend put it, now it’s all about the djembe! Even though the djembe didn’t originate in Senegal or The Gambia, it is still a huge part of the culture. These are different than most other drums in Africa. One primary difference is the high tension rope tuning system. These heads are tighter than drums with a less complex tuning system. These drums speak loud, with passion. They can be heard far away, especially on a moonless night, in a land where there are few street lights and you are left to ponder there significance in the darkness. They could know your name in the next village before you get there from the language of the drum. Fire, passion, energy with the joy of dance and song – that is what the djembe is about.

So the djembe is where my love affair with African drumming started in 1987. When I walked into a Chuck Davis class at Watts Street School one evening, the sound of the drums hit me – hard! I had to learn this music. I had to learn this drum. At that time, I had a master’s degree in percussion. At the moment that I heard those drummers, I felt that I wasn’t a master of anything. So my education started all over again with Djembefola Khalid Saleem. He started me like a beginner and slowly, thoroughly guided me through the rhythm patterns that are the core of West African rhythms. I also learned dun-dun, congas and shekere. I learned how to feel the music. That is the most important part and it can only be learned by doing and listening – over and over again!

By the time I got to Africa, I felt that I knew just enough to understand what was being taught to me there. Without Khalid, the trip, my life, everything, would have gone right over my head.

What Khalid gave to me was not only djembe lessons but a way to live my life. Peace and Blessings are in his every greeting. And so it became with me. My life’s work must embrace peace and the blessings that we receive everyday we are on the planet. All along with the music and rhythm that makes me know I am alive! I think the creator everyday for the blessings of this teaching.

I am so thankful for that day that heard those drums. There would have been no trip to Africa, no break from traditional percussion, no wonderful meeting the hundreds of people that I have meet through the drum, no Khalid, a very different journey on this planet. In short, my life would have been drastically different – and incomplete!

20 years ago changed my life in ways that are impossible to explain. May we all just keep following the rhythm of our heart and I am sure it lead to place where we belong. Yes, I’m sure.

In shaa'Allah,

Jim Roberts

Summit to Shore: Ocrafolk Festival – Saturday’s Performers on the Howard Street Stage

Summit to Shore: Ocrafolk Festival – Saturday’s Performers on the Howard Street Stage

Craicdown Facebook Page is up!

My band Craicdown has it's Facebook page up! Take a look~



If you friend me it makes it easier for me to keep in touch with you!!

NEW CRAICDOWN CD!!

Here is the Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year, the heart of the spring and summer. The big news is that my trio, Craicdown, has it's new CD in hand! The official release is scheduled Sunday, October 24! We will have a party and festivities at a place announced later. This labor of love was 2 years in the making and we hope it worth the wait.

The band consists of Rob Sharer on string and wind instruments. He also sings, writes and jumps from tall buildings (or small walls). David DiGiuseppe plays accordion and cittern and he writes as well. I play percussion like a drum set and drum set like percussion. See if you can follow that one.

The music isn’t easily pigeonholed but imagine if the Duhks met the Bryds and flew around the world together! – that could be us more or less without the harmony singing and the 12 string electric! Three diverse musicians following their own “Roads” finally converge in a place called CRAICDOWN (crack-down) meaning a good time or party. Party with purpose and make some serious music while you’re at it!

You won’t have to wait till October to get it as it is up on CD Baby!
Check it out at cdbaby.com/craicdown You can download it or get the CD.

More soon!

Welcome Students!

Welcome to Jim Roberts Percussion! So you want to learn drum set, hand drums, beginning piano, guitar or vocals? Or maybe you're a band or orchestra student who wants to learn traditional percussion (mallets, snare drum, timpani). Either way - You've come to the right place!

I've been teaching performing and producing for over 20 years. Because my interests are varied, I have a lot of different "musical wells" to draw upon, from music of the world to the music of the America. They include all types of current styles including Alternative, Pop, Hip and Hop, and Latin to Folk, African, Cuban, Brazilian, Rock, Country, Classical, Jazz and others. Presently, I teach music at Elon University. I am also a gigging musician with lots of real world experience in most contemporary styles as well as world music. For me that includes congas, djembe, dun-dun, dumbek, various frame drums and singing. If you are a vocalist, I can help you too. I ran a studio in Nashville, TN and produced dozens of vocal sessions for records and demos. As a producer, I have produced over 15 albums. I also play many different instruments and arrange songs and compositions. Let me know if you're trying to do a record and I will do a consultation session for you.

So, the odds are - I can help you be a better musician, no matter what you want to study. If you are already an artist or have a band, I can help you make that record with great production.

What can't I do? Bungee jumping, Mountain climbing, Cave diving or Bull Riding is in the list. Hopefully though, I can help you reach your goal as a musician. Give me a call to set your lesson today.

Peace and Blessings - JIM
919-259-1956 C