So musicians are the carriers in between man and a higher power-the creational force. Not so much in this culture, but in other cultures, music is close to God or the spiritual domain, the spirit world, the sacred dimension-whatever you call it. In other cultures, musicians are revered. There is no one better on their instruments than Giovanni, Zakir or Sikiru-Giovanni on conga, Zakir on tabla and Sikiru on talking drum, along with almost anything they touch. These players have something in common-they’re the best at what they do. Playing with masters like Zakir, Giovanni and Sikiru is humbling, but it’s also lifereaffirming. The grooves are deep drumming grooves, but they have melody to them they’re all tuned. We are trying to make it in a way where it is more danceoriented music. We had hundreds of sessions online, trying to find our way through this new rhythm that we’re trying to make. Some of this was done online, as well as in the studio. It seemed to be the right time and the pandemic gave us an opportunity. That’s why I pulled this thing together now.
So drums in the hands of Republicans and Democrats just might help. After playing with someone else, you understand them more and have good feelings about them. I’ve always thought that a good rhythm experience between the Democrats and the Republicans would really help. I still see a time when the Republicans and Democrats can get together in rhythm. When you see a band like this playing together-representing different cultures from all over the world-it demonstrates that it can be done. Sometimes it feels like everybody has their little place that they’re hiding out in, so they don’t learn about other cultures and share in the stories, hardships and joy-especially joy-of those different cultures. We all feel the pain of the world, and this is a way to alleviate some of that. It’s a rhythmmachine extraordinaire.”ĭid a specific event prompt you to revisit Planet Drum? That’s what makes Planet Drum so powerful. That’s what music and rhythm are all about. Goodwill can be seen as a positive, collective rhythm moment. The world is a place of war with struggles of all kinds running rampant-pandemic, greed and corruption. “With all the rage and hate going on, rhythm offers an incredible musical opportunity that is the opposite of that. “Music creates a virtual world outside of normal consciousness, where you find empathy and love,” Hart proclaims. Hart explains that ongoing international strife prompted the decision to set the percussion collective in motion once again. Planet Drum explored new textures on 1998’s Supralingua, the aptly titled record which means “beyond language.” Then, in 2007, Hart, Hussain, Adepoju and Hidalgo reconvened for the Global Drum Project, which also received a World Music Grammy.įifteen years later, Planet Drum has returned with In The Groove.
The globe-spanning ensemble-including Zakir Hussain (India), Sikiru Adepoju (Nigeria) and Giovanni Hidalgo (Puerto Rico)-came together for the elevated improvisational sessions that yielded the Planet Drum record, which received the first-ever Best World Music Album Grammy and topped the Billboard World Music Album charts for 26 weeks. “The original Planet Drum was based on cultures coming together in rhythm and being a model for that,” Mickey Hart says of the project he initiated in 1990, after inviting percussion masters from across the world to join him in the studio. Giovanni Hidalgo, Zakir Hussain, Mickey Hart, Sikiru Adepoju ( Photo credit: Jay Blakesberg)
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