World Drums 1986
World Drums, Expo '86, Vancouver - one of the most joyous events I've experienced. As Artists' Manager at Great World Artists, I had the honour of managing NEXUS (a role I still fulfill today), considered one of if not the top percussion ensembles in the world. Founding member John Wyre conceived World Drums and traveled the globe (as did Bob Becker, also of NEXUS) finding the best. GWA dove in as co-producers and ultimately we had 2 weeks of 117 drummers, 22 groups representing 20 different cultures, all of them coming together for the finale.
Vancouver, BC 1987
We did it again in 1987, bringing 80 master percussion artists from 9 Commonwealth countries to the Commonweath Heads of Government (Summit) Meeting. Some World Drums artists had never been outside their village, had never been on a 'plane before, had never seen an escalator...It was exciting for ALL of us involved in these events!
Brisbane, Australia 1988
By 1988, I had been working with John Cripton of Great World Artists since 1981 when he came on as producer of the Toronto International Festival. John has always had a knack for bringing wonderful artists together. GWA handled the Canadian Cultural Programming for the Canada Pavilion at Expo'86 in Vancouver, and again for Expo'88 in Brisbane, Australia and I assisted. One of the Australian events was another iteration of World Drums, this one including wonderful Aboriginal musicians on drums and didgeridoos. We took a smaller World Drums ensemble on tour up the eastern coast of Australia, for which I was the on-tour staff member.
World Junior Championships 1988
It wasn't all drumming - there was a broad display of athletic and energetic dancers with the performers from Africa, Georgia (Russia), Korea, Senegal, and others. In 1988, another World Drums Festival was brought together for the World Junior Championships in Sudbury ON. As well, earlier in 1988 NEXUS member Bob Becker directed a smaller ensemble of World Drums performers (NEXUS from Canada, Steve Gadd USA, SaulNori Korea, and Abraham Adzenyah Ghana) for Super Percussion, a part of Tokyo Music Joy.