Meeting Layne Redmond in Brazil
Few people know about a very special meeting I had in Bahia in February. It was truly a gift, sent by the orixas, the goddesses and the faeries!
(I'm finding it essential to show gratitude to all the spiritual beings, that I know of, who have guided me on my path thus far).
And, I can't forget to show my gratitude to my loving friend Stephanie Hamberger (soon to also be my business partner in a pilgrimage travel company she named "Soul Pilgrim"), who emailed me while I was conducting research in Brazil to let me know Layne Redmond was also in Salvador! Stephanie sent Layne my email address and Layne contacted me a few days later.
I can't begin to describe my excitement at receiving this news! Layne has been a long time mentor, through her books and CD's, even though we had never met. Her book, "When the Drummers Were Women" inspired me and gave me hope at a time when I was not supported by my own culture as a woman drummer.
It took at least a week and a half to set up a meeting because I didn't have a cell phone in Brazil and had to run around using the public phones, which were not the most reliable. Finally, Layne emailed that she was giving a lesson to a student in Porto da Barra, about a 10 minute walk from my apartment, and that she had a little time available afterwards.
I walked to our meeting place, the Village Novu, that evening with my translator Marcelo, who knows the area very well. That evening Shaun made him dinner and so Marcelo graciously offered to accompany me to the meeting. I kept telling him to hurry up because he had a tendency to walk slower when he became lost in his conversations about his boyfriends or problems. I was concerned that she may not wait for us because we were running late.
Marcelo looked perplexed at my unusual impatience and agitation. I explained to him that she was very well-known in the United States and abroad for her work as a frame drummer, writer and teacher. And I didn't want to make her wait or miss my chance to speak with her.
At this point, he still didn't really get it.
When we were about five minutes away, Layne called Marcelo's cell phone to make sure we weren't lost and told him what she was wearing, so we could find her. I thought to myself, "Oh I won't have any problem finding you, Layne! Don't worry!"
We finally arrived and immediately Layne was visible and walked over to greet us.
It felt like a homecoming for me just to give her a hug! What amazing energy she has!
We both discussed our work as she was eating her dinner and I sipped on my abacaxi (pinapple) juice. She has been working in Brazil for at least seven years. Her father once had a business in Salvador and Layne had first gone there as a young girl.
During this trip to Salvador, she was teaching and working on a video/music recording of the orixas of Candomble. I need to get the date it is going to be wide released, but I know they will appear on the new Harmony channel launching in June.
Layne also donates much of her time to teach a group of girls at Escola Pracatum, the music school started by international Brazilian music star Carlinhos Brown. I met three of the girls from her group, Mercia, Ivana and Aiala, for an interview that I will post as soon as I can get the translation done.
I told Layne about my dissertation work and also asked if she had ever seen women playing atabaques (ritual drums of Candomble) during ceremony. She had never seen women playing during rituals, however she saw a group of women playing on the beach in Rio Vermelho near the Casa de Iemanja. They were wearing t-shirts that said "Casa de Mesa Branca" which means House of the White Table. Marcelo shed a bit of light on what religion they may be involved in. He was wonderful for his wide range of religious and psychological knowledge (more about Marcelo in another post).
Marcelo said that perhaps the women were from an Umbanda house. He thought this because Umbanda, unlike "pure" Candomble, is still syncretic with other religions and spiritual practices. Umbanda often incorporates the mediumship practices of Kardecism, also known as Espiritualismo. When the members of the house come together for a seance, also referred to as a meduim circle, they cover a table in a white tablecloth, hence the "White Table."
I do not know enough about Umbanda yet to know whether his analysis is accurate or not, but I report it here as an important part of our discussion that evening.
I think we spent an hour and a half talking. Layne had to leave to work on some final mixes for the video and to preview it to a colleague.
It was such an honor and a joy to meet Layne. Her spirit is enourmously generous, loving and humble. In fact, as we were walking home after the meeting, Marcelo told me that she was one of the nicest, most humble people he had met.
More than anything, I want to publically acknowledge my profound gratitude to Layne. She tirelessly supports women drummers and at the same time produces some of the most beautiful, soulful music I've ever heard. She is truly a pioneer in the field of frame drum scholarship and a mentor for all women and drummers.
She has many upcoming events back east and on the west coast. Visit the Events page of her website for all the latest:
http://www.layneredmond.com/events.htm
(I'm finding it essential to show gratitude to all the spiritual beings, that I know of, who have guided me on my path thus far).
And, I can't forget to show my gratitude to my loving friend Stephanie Hamberger (soon to also be my business partner in a pilgrimage travel company she named "Soul Pilgrim"), who emailed me while I was conducting research in Brazil to let me know Layne Redmond was also in Salvador! Stephanie sent Layne my email address and Layne contacted me a few days later.
I can't begin to describe my excitement at receiving this news! Layne has been a long time mentor, through her books and CD's, even though we had never met. Her book, "When the Drummers Were Women" inspired me and gave me hope at a time when I was not supported by my own culture as a woman drummer.
It took at least a week and a half to set up a meeting because I didn't have a cell phone in Brazil and had to run around using the public phones, which were not the most reliable. Finally, Layne emailed that she was giving a lesson to a student in Porto da Barra, about a 10 minute walk from my apartment, and that she had a little time available afterwards.
I walked to our meeting place, the Village Novu, that evening with my translator Marcelo, who knows the area very well. That evening Shaun made him dinner and so Marcelo graciously offered to accompany me to the meeting. I kept telling him to hurry up because he had a tendency to walk slower when he became lost in his conversations about his boyfriends or problems. I was concerned that she may not wait for us because we were running late.
Marcelo looked perplexed at my unusual impatience and agitation. I explained to him that she was very well-known in the United States and abroad for her work as a frame drummer, writer and teacher. And I didn't want to make her wait or miss my chance to speak with her.
At this point, he still didn't really get it.
When we were about five minutes away, Layne called Marcelo's cell phone to make sure we weren't lost and told him what she was wearing, so we could find her. I thought to myself, "Oh I won't have any problem finding you, Layne! Don't worry!"
We finally arrived and immediately Layne was visible and walked over to greet us.
It felt like a homecoming for me just to give her a hug! What amazing energy she has!
We both discussed our work as she was eating her dinner and I sipped on my abacaxi (pinapple) juice. She has been working in Brazil for at least seven years. Her father once had a business in Salvador and Layne had first gone there as a young girl.
During this trip to Salvador, she was teaching and working on a video/music recording of the orixas of Candomble. I need to get the date it is going to be wide released, but I know they will appear on the new Harmony channel launching in June.
Layne also donates much of her time to teach a group of girls at Escola Pracatum, the music school started by international Brazilian music star Carlinhos Brown. I met three of the girls from her group, Mercia, Ivana and Aiala, for an interview that I will post as soon as I can get the translation done.
I told Layne about my dissertation work and also asked if she had ever seen women playing atabaques (ritual drums of Candomble) during ceremony. She had never seen women playing during rituals, however she saw a group of women playing on the beach in Rio Vermelho near the Casa de Iemanja. They were wearing t-shirts that said "Casa de Mesa Branca" which means House of the White Table. Marcelo shed a bit of light on what religion they may be involved in. He was wonderful for his wide range of religious and psychological knowledge (more about Marcelo in another post).
Marcelo said that perhaps the women were from an Umbanda house. He thought this because Umbanda, unlike "pure" Candomble, is still syncretic with other religions and spiritual practices. Umbanda often incorporates the mediumship practices of Kardecism, also known as Espiritualismo. When the members of the house come together for a seance, also referred to as a meduim circle, they cover a table in a white tablecloth, hence the "White Table."
I do not know enough about Umbanda yet to know whether his analysis is accurate or not, but I report it here as an important part of our discussion that evening.
I think we spent an hour and a half talking. Layne had to leave to work on some final mixes for the video and to preview it to a colleague.
It was such an honor and a joy to meet Layne. Her spirit is enourmously generous, loving and humble. In fact, as we were walking home after the meeting, Marcelo told me that she was one of the nicest, most humble people he had met.
More than anything, I want to publically acknowledge my profound gratitude to Layne. She tirelessly supports women drummers and at the same time produces some of the most beautiful, soulful music I've ever heard. She is truly a pioneer in the field of frame drum scholarship and a mentor for all women and drummers.
She has many upcoming events back east and on the west coast. Visit the Events page of her website for all the latest:
http://www.layneredmond.com/events.htm
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