Close ... yet far

Well ... the two guesses from Karen and Kelly were close ... and yet so far. I am not back in TO yet ... but rather went to TObago for the second day of the Muhtadi Drum Festival. (Place beginning with T = Tobago, familiar faces = Muhtadi and some of the people who drum, festivities = drum festival)
This troupe from Toronto had the crowd mesmerised. The female MC (who was very amusing) bawled out to TT women: "Allyuh feel you could wine? Well look what real wine is!"

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Unlike the festival in TO which was in a park, this stage was near to the beach. There were local players as well as those from TO and other parts of the world. The entire festival ended with a blessing of the drums - a passionate and rhythmic procession from the performance area to the beach, with drums playing, everyone dancing and (in one case literally) catching the spirit. Unfortunately I only took one or two shots with my still camera because I was too busy trying to deal with my video camera which, after years of trusted hard work, is seeing its last days.

All of the performances were enjoyable, but this one from India was my personal favourite (the MC announced him as Mr. Channa) . To his side you will see the hang, a Swiss instrument which many people had not seen before. It sounds like a pan but he played it like a tabla. Hypnotic. (See and hear it in the video below, shot on my digital still camera).


The sequence just after the hang shows him on some drums in the middle of a jam session which followed the drum blessing and ended the festivities.