Percussion Summit – Percussion Summit (CD2056)

Drummers from four continents on one stage. On October 20, 1984, the Percussion Summit played the Donaueschingen Festival (Donaueschinger Musiktage), one of the world’s most famous festivals for contemporary music. The line-up was an extraordinary meeting of rhythm traditions.

From jazz came Ed Thigpen, Günter “Baby” Sommer from East Germany, Joe Koinzer and Freddie Santiago. Turkish percussion master Okay Temiz brought his self-made copper drums. From South India came percussionists T.A.S. Mani, R.A. Rajagopal and T.N. Shashikumar with vocalist R.A. Rama Mani. Polish vocal artist Urszula Dudziak, South African bassist Johnny Dyani and saxophonist John Purcell complete the ensemble.

The result is a meeting of jazz, Indian classical music, Turkish rhythms and free improvisation. The 12-minute “Shiva Ranjini” builds out of South Indian tradition, “Burnin’ Circuits” and “Tune for Peace” show the power of the whole group, and titles like “Preussens Abgesang mit Sachsens Glockenklang” (“Prussia’s Swan Song with Saxony’s Bell Sound”) and “Schalmeienschön” bring a dose of humour. Released on Moers Music. When you buy here, you’re buying directly from the label, and we only sell originals.

The Side Story

“Summit” projects were a Moers Music speciality: great musicians from different worlds brought together for one special meeting. Besides the Percussion Summit there was the Vocal Summit, and Urszula Dudziak sang in both. You can hear Vocal Summit on Sorrow Is Not Forever – Love Is, also on Moers Music.

Some of the musicians here go back a long way together. Okay Temiz and Johnny Dyani were introduced by Don Cherry in 1969, after Dyani moved to Sweden when his South African band The Blue Notes broke up. They toured with Cherry and in 1972 founded the band Xaba with trumpeter Mongezi Feza. Temiz plays drums of his own invention, made from hand-beaten copper and modelled on the Turkish darbuka. At Donaueschingen, the two old friends met again on stage, this time with Indian, American and German drummers.

Günter “Baby” Sommer was one of the leading free jazz drummers of East Germany. In 1984 a performance by him in West Germany was something special in itself.

Tracklist

1. Shiva Ranjini – 12:40

2. Preussens Abgesang mit Sachsens Glockenklang – 6:27

3. Burnin’ Circuits – 5:50

4. Tune for Peace – 6:40

5. Schalmeienschön – 5:54

Total running time: approx. 38 minutes

Personnel

• Urszula Dudziak – vocals

• R.A. Rama Mani – vocals

• John Purcell – saxophone

• Johnny Dyani – bass

• Ed Thigpen – drums, percussion

• Günter “Baby” Sommer – drums, percussion

• Okay Temiz – drums, percussion

• Joe Koinzer – drums, percussion

• Freddie Santiago – drums, percussion

• T.A.S. Mani – percussion

• R.A. Rajagopal – percussion

• T.N. Shashikumar – percussion

Details

• Format: CD

• Label: Moers Music

• Catalog no.: CD2056

• Recorded: Live, October 20, 1984, Donaueschingen Festival (Donaueschinger Musiktage)

• Price: €14.00