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“Jambo” means hello!
Sandra Agard, renowned storyteller and Keith Waithe, award winning flautist and composer took our 8C, 8L and 8N classes on a dream journey, a wonderful fusion of music, storytelling and poetry from Guyana and the Caribbean on Wednesday 8th July as part of Arts Week.
Sandra started off the session by asking the classes what the word for “hello” was in different languages, which the students impressively fired back at her! She then told the stories of Anansi and the Magic Cooking Pot and The Talking Flute in her superb, lively and animated style, involving the students in role-playing – Minh Nguyen (8HL) making an impressively, wicked emperor! - or drawing them in with every word until they were literally on the edge of their seats.
Vocal gymnastics!
All our Year 8s have rhythm! They clapped to titi tita tum to dum, titi tita tum to dum, titi tita tum to dum…
Keith has a secret…he loves flutes! He shared this with the students by bringing in a small selection of his favourites to play. Amongst them, a bamboo flute from Bali, a Atenben flute from Ghana, an embellished flute from Tibet, a penny whistle from Ireland, a Jamaican bamboo flute and a silver flute from Western Europe on which he imitated animals and sounds, such as the maniacal laughter of a monkey, the roar of a lion and the wind in the rain.
The magical journey continued…
Keith loves the way storytellers use words and used his music to enhance Sandra’s words.
Douennes (A Caribbean tale) told by Sandra with Gimbe accompaniment by Keith. A scary story of two children venturing into the woods and meeting the Douennes (souls of children). Although warned by their friends and family the children don’t listen to the advice!
Keith revealed that he wakes up at 4.30am every morning to the sound of birdsong, goes to his backyard and plays to the birds on his Ocarina, a tiny clay flute from Peru! He plays, then tricks them by playing a Chinese melody which they dislike so much, they sing a little longer, then fly away, at which point Keith returns to bed for another two hours until he needs to get up! His little Ocarina hangs delicately round his neck in anticipation for their sweet song each morning.
More vocal gymnastics!
…chi chi cha cha chi…
Keith ended the session by choosing students to play a selection of percussion instruments – a Gimbe drum, played with wonderful rhythm and vigour by Jordan Kerr (8CP), Benjamin Olatunbosun (8SS) and Morenike Ogunseye (8BW) – a giant Ponsietta seed pod, shakers, tamborines and bells, by the other students.
…aya moo moo jay……aya moo moo jay…
A rich and joyful sound was created by our wonderful, rhythmic Year 8s, Keith and Sandra as they danced, played and sang.
Kwaheri means goodbye!
Ms Mitchell, Librarian
London-based Guyanese flautist Waithe continues to be something of an ‘open secret’ in the talent stakes. His improvisatory nouse has been well and truly proven over the years though his profile still remains maddeningly low. In any case he has single-mindedly pursued his own artistic agenda, developing a songbook that draws heavily on African-Caribbean and Asian folk traditions as well as jazz ingenuity in a manner not dissimilar to a large number of his forebears, of which Yusef Lateef is perhaps the most direct reference.
This latest offering from his regular combo, the Macusi Players, a sharp rhythm section bolstered by the cultured vocal of Helen McDonald, sees Waithe perform a repertoire that is largely based on tunes made famous by Billie Holiday, namely Strange Fruit and God Bless The Child, both of which are rendered with the kind of delicacy that proves that Waithe is both a superior arranger as well as soloist, and that his sense of the immediacy of a folk song is by no means lost in the midst of his expansive ‘chops’. A charming rendition of the Guyanese traditional Here Auntie Bess gives further credence to that, emphasizing the point that Waithe’s connection to ancestral culture is a very real one, a rock solid foundation on which rests a winningly progressive artistic voice.
Published: Wednesday, November 11, 2009 in Caribbean Life, New York
More than 200 copies of “Gathering Echoes” were sold in New York, after its recent release by Guyana-born musician and composer Keith Waithe. The artistic genius said his latest work is a significant milestone and celebration of his journey from Guyana, and through thirty-two years of musical success in the United Kingdom.
With this CD, Waithe, a phenomenal Flautist has proven that he has gotten better with age, appealing to a new generation of music lovers. This, his eight release was not only inspired by his love of nature, but also by his affection for the soulful jazzy sound. Waithe’s impeccable gift for playing the flute has earned him recognition around the world, yet kept him rooted to his diverse Guyanese culture.
Awed by sounds of the wild, the squawking of birds, and the rustling of leaves, Waithe looked to these elements to put together a wonderful blend of songs that he listened to while growing up. Describing his work as a mix of Jazz African, Asian, Indo-Guyanese and contemporary genres that are deeply inspired by the people of Guyana and the beauty of the rainforest, Waithe from an early age was taught to play the trumpet by his late father.
Waithe continues to thrill audiences all over the world, and has performed in festivals in India, France, Geneva, Peru, Guyana, New York, Columbia and the Cayman Islands all sponsored by the British Council. His Essequibo Music workshops inspire up-and-coming musicians in addition to sessions he conducted with the BBC Symphony Orchestra as part of “A taste of Africa” series. Waithe is a recipient of the Guyana Cultural Association /Folk Festival 2003 Award.
Medstead hosted the latest Hog the Limelight production on 10th October. It was a dramatic musical performance, wonderful singing by Helen MacDonald and fabulous music by the Macusi players, a six piece band of infinite musical ability and enhanced by various unusual instruments, especially in the percussion area, e.g. Ghanaian Cora and Caribbean Drums. The players, all extremely talented, were: Keith Waithe on flutes, played like I’ve never heard before by, scintillating pianist Vladimir Miller, bass guitarist Eustace Williams with his tuneful and skilful playing, and fantastic backing and solo expertise by Jo Jo Yates and Darryl Lee Que on percussion and drums.
The theme was the ‘life and times of Billie Holiday, brought to life through music, words and cutting edge technology’. Helen MacDonald, a very innovative actress and singer, enthralled us all with songs which we have heard sung in the past, by various singers in addition to Billie, like Strange Fruit, God Bless the Child, Don’t Explain, Lover Man, Stormy Weather, Summertime and Good Morning Heartache. The second part was enlivened by songs in a lighter vein, like Love me or Leave Me, All of Me, Them Their Eyes, and Summertime.
The audience really did ‘hang on her every word’, as Helen produced the songs in hers (and Billie’s) own special way, and the band was phenomenal. We went home ‘on a high’ after a memorable performance.
