Album Notes

Michael Denney studied with two Yoruba Drum Masters. His first teacher was Baba Ayo Adeyemi. Baba is a Drum Master and Ifa Shaman from Ijebu, Nigeria. He taught Michael Djembe, Djun Djun and Bell. Baba's rhythms are very powerful and sacred rhythms of Ifa. "Even if you go to Nigeria looking for these rhythms, you probably won't find them. I had been asking him for years for permission to record his songs. He recently gave me permission to record two of them, Gbong Gu Gbong and Hunting II, ON ONE CONDITION - that I record them with him. I naturally said, "When can can you be here?!"

Michael's second teacher was talking drum Master Francis Awe. "Francis' music is very complex. It is hard-core ensemble drumming. I learned numerous traditional and sacred rhythms from him on talking drum. I converted some of Francis' rhythms to hand drums so I could teach them to local drummers."