Album Notes

is Charles Williams and Tom Teasley is Charles Williams and Tom Teasley
Actor/poet/griot Charles Williams and global-jazz percussionist Teasley present dynamic, exciting and enthralling presentations that feature the powerful and inspirational texts of Langston Hughes, Nelson Mandela, African folk songs and more accompanied by colorful, inventive percussive rhythms. Word Beat have performed their critically acclaimed melding of music and voice at prestigious venues throughout the nation as well as for academic audiences across the US and Europe. Williams and Teasley achieve a true marriage of ancient to the future, of Africa and the West: timeless world rhythms evoked by Teasley's inspired blend of ethnic percussion and cutting edge electronics, and traditional African and Afro-American verse delivered in spirited performance art mode by Williams.

Described in the Washington Post as " (a) collaboration transcending form and culture, radiating a universal power a hope." , Word Beat began in 1996 when Williams and Teasley were featured in recital at the Levine School of Music in Washington, DC where they both teach. Audience response was so overwhelming positive that the two artists decided to expand their program. Word Beat has released both a CD and a live performance video entitled Poetry, Prose, Percussion and Song, Both have been welcomed by critical acclaim including feature articles, print and internet reviews and wide ranging air-play. In October '99, Word Beat was featured in a concert appearance at PASIC, the largest and most prestigious percussion event in the world.

Word Beat has performed in venues throughout the US and Europe including Epfindorf and Berlin, Germany. Other performing venues include: Augusta Heritage Festival - Davis & Elkins College, WV; Lincoln Center Institute for Aesthetic Education in Central NY; Center for Multi-Cultural Experiences of SUNY, Oneonta, NY; Brooklyn School of Music; Garret Lakes Arts Festival, Garret Co., MD; The Kennedy Center; the "Muse Machine" of Spartanburg, SC and Dayton, OH, Penn State University; Southern Ohio Arts Museum and Rochester, NY. Word Beat presents school concerts/clinics throughout the nation. They are on the touring roster of the Virginia Commission on the arts, presenting concerts/clinics throughout Virginia.