Photo credit: D
NAMM 2014
It is with the greatest enthusiasm I share the following regarding my attendance at the 2014 NAMM tradeshow (Jan. 23-26) where the response to the debut of the SYSTRUM exceeded expectations ~ i.e., despite its having been “buried” by the sands of time, I was delighted by the number of people who knew what it was without the slightest solicitation on my part. Hooray!
Among my personal highlights was bringing the SYSTRUM to the Friday night REMO Drum Circle* which draws men, women and children of all ages to the Palm Garden outside the Anaheim Convention Center for a group music-making experience led by REMO facilitator extraordinaire and rhythm ambassador, the one and only Arthur Hull. The folks at REMO ~ John Fitzgerald, Ana Thomas, Mike DeMenno et al made me feel like a part of the family. Thank you!
And re-connecting with my friend Debbie Barnett who I met years earlier at Paulo Mattioli‘s Rhythm Ranch Retreats*!
Click here to see a video of the drum circle! That’s me and Debbie
alongside the palm tree under the light upper right
and here’s a video of 16-year old Valeska Thomas facilitating!
Photo credit: D
WOW – WOW – WOW! What a fabulous, amazing, mystical, magical, wonder-filled experience robust with delightful surprises ALL associated with the debut of the SYSTRUM at this spectacular event hosting over 9,000 merchants and attended by 90,000+ at the Anaheim Convention Center.
I flew from PA to CA on Thursday, January 23 with purrrr-fect and on-time connecting flights. Upon landing @ LAX my syster in the systrahood Ms. D was waiting my arrival in her gold chariot and off we flew to her abode. Not having seen each other in person for several years we stayed up ’til the wee hours of the morning talking about various and sundry things as well as strategizing the Goddess Hathor’s SYSTRUM first-ever appearance at this event.
The next morning we played a recording of beautiful ragas as we prepared ourselves in a relaxed manner to be Her representatives at this big event. We were blessed to navigate the freeways with ease between Santa Monica and Anaheim. Upon arrival, we made our way to the Mid-East Mfg. booth to deliver a couple items I thought might enhance Her debut amidst the array of beautiful instruments on display therein.
Photo credit: D
On our way to check in with our friends at REMO I met guitarist and author Robb Lawrence after which we headed over to REMO ‘hub’ where I enjoyed meeting the super talented yet unassuming Pete Lockett who is renowned as one of the most versatile multi-percussionists in the world:
Many friends were made and photos were taken, even amidst our hotel shuttle mates both that night and the next morning:
He was a true gentleman, extraordinary musician and a documentary film maker; Click here to watch Harlem Street Singer. his tribute to blues guitarist Reverend Gary Davis,
I looked forward to returning to NAMM again and in the meantime fostering all these new relationships and burgeoning SYSTRUM circulation! May its re-emergence
a) empower hand-drumming enthusiasts who previously may have found themselves challenged to learn techniques associated with various hand drums by discovering the joy of playing percussion ala this wonderful & historic instrument associated with rich millennia-old traditions, b) shed light on Egyptian (ancient and contemporary) culture and Goddess cults of Hathor & Isis, etc., and
c) re-inspire meaningful intentional ritual and creative authentic living in our daily lives…
*NOTE: Over the years Paulo Mattioli facilitated numerous Remo Drum Circles at NAMM and we shared many a smile in his recounting those experiences. Your spirit lives on brightly in the Remo Drum Circle my dearly departed friend. We miss you muchly and remember you always with great fondness.
www.NAMM.org The National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) is the not-for-profit association that promotes the pleasures and benefits of making music and serves as a hub for people seeking the newest innovations in musical products, recording technology, sound and lighting. NAMM activities & programs are designed to promote music making to people of all ages.
NAMM 2015
Hap-hap-happy was I to return NAMM!
Reuniting with ol’ friends and making new ones at the Remo booth 
NAMM 2016
Another spin ’round with systrum a shimmerin’
Wednesday, January 20: arrived late @ LAX and Ms. D meets/greets me in her Golden Chariot. We stay up to the wee hours gabbing away, catching up with one another and I retell my tale of excitedly presenting Hossam Ramzy with the Systrum @ a concert in the Lehigh Valley less than a week prior….
Thursday, January 21: slept till 2 pm and slowly get ourselves organized to depart only to find ourselves in rush hour Santa Monica et al so it was a slow go down to Anaheim. We checked into our hotel, ate dinner nearby and then luckily since there was a Target across the street we shopped for some “supplies” for the weekend ~ breakfast yogurt, fruit, granola, etc. o, and the real essentials, dark chocolate and red wine *wink*
Friday, January 22: still a bit jet-lagged, it was another slow start enjoying a leisurely breakfast in our room and then walking to the Convention Center to get our badges et al.
Upon arrival inside the Hall I hightailed it to catch legendary bass player Bakithi Kumalo at the NS Design Booth. I’d recently met Bakithi at a performance at Godfrey Daniels in the Lehigh Valley. Meanwhile Ms. D bee-lined it to the Remo booth. After saying hello to Bakithi, I stopped to say hi to my friends at Breezy Ridge strings.
After that I enjoyed a nearly 2-hour meeting with Greg Kundrat, president of Mid-East Mfg., meeting his son Max and Bret Hutchinson, designer of their newest product, the Idiopan, crafted in America, the first and only steel tongue drum capable of being tuned to hundreds of scales from around the world.
After our meeting I offered to introduce Greg to Bakithi so we proceeded upstairs where Bakithi warmly welcomed us. I excused myself and met D on the upper level of the Hall where Latin Percussion was set up for the weekend. We said hi to Jerry Zacharias (formerly at Remo), greeted Ms. Sheila E., took loads of photos and then bopped back downstairs to start to make our way to the Remo drum circle, but first had fun doing a little ‘photo shoot’ at Zildjan’s impressive wall!
I then scooted outside to “secure” myself a spot on the inside circle (which YAY I achieved) while D stopped and chatted with Ami Belli. The drum circle was a blast!
Thank you Abe for capturing me sitting alongside Arthur Hull and I am soooo grateful to see many friends and familiar faces and re-connect with them in this way. Such a beautiful heartfelt exchange. Met Gino Gamboa for the first time and was impressed with his fierce castanets prowess and was honored he liked my finger cymbal playing too! And speaking of playing my finger cymbals in the circle, Debbie Barnett (in red shirt sitting in the circle across from where I was seated) recently sent me a link to video of this drum circle:
D and I considered hanging with the Remo crew post drum circle but it was a bit chilly and neither one of us felt we were attired warmly enough to hang around outside so I checked in with the Mid-East gang who invited us to join them for lite fare and drinks at their hotel, which as it turns out was only two doors down from our hotel, so walked there and enjoyed relaxing and chatting with Greg, Bret, and Max et al.
Saturday, January 23: We arrived in time to “catch” Doug Wimbish* @ the Rotosound Music Strings booth albeit I thought we were gonna hear him play some of his fierce bass musings. Instead, he was signing posters *and* I couldn’t help but notice, *bonus* Bernard Fowler was at the booth too! Since I conducted a couple interviews with Bernard on World Rhythms, a program I periodically host on the Lehigh Valley’s NPR station WDIY, it delights me say that when Bernard saw me he came out from behind the booth to greet me with a big hug and then Doug invited me to “C’mon over and give ‘im a little sugar, too.” Gladly *wink* …. Big smiles all around!
Photo credit: D
*BTW, here’s a link to a nice lil’ sampling of DW’s musicality: www.facebook.com/dougwimbish/videos
After that, D and I headed to the Remo booth where Angelo Belli introduced us to Dr. Craig Woodson, ethnomusicologist and music educator, whom I am happy to say took an interest in the Systrum and with whom I need to follow-up, for sure!
Meanwhile, before rendezvousing with D back at the Mid-East booth, she found herself in conversation with Ms. America, ‘Darling’ Julie E Harman. Their conversation was about synchronicity. Julie was sharing with D that she had recently attended a women’s shaman gathering and during the course of the evneing she pulled an Angel card for a reading and the card she pulled was the Egyptian Goddess Hathor! Julie was telling D this tale and just as she was uttering the name of the Hahtor, I approached the two of them with the Systrum in hand. I shimmered the cymbals and Julie was awestruck by the synchronicity. We all were!
So, right then and there we gifted her with the Systrum and invited her to use it as her new scepter. T’was a magical moment and only the just the beginning of this connection with Ms. America.
Blessed be!
Saturday, January 24: D and I got ourselves decked out in our finest High Priestess attire, checked out of the hotel, hopped in the Golden Chariot and made our way to the Goddess Temple of Orange County in Irvine, CA, an easy 20 min. jaunt. The space dedicated as the Goddess Temple is located in an industrial park but the moment you walk thru the entrance you are transported to a very sacred space most auspiciously and gorgeously transformed by Ava Park, Founder & Presiding Priestess, and the attending priestesses. In addition to the main sanctuary, there are various rooms exquisitely decorated for meditation/contemplation/relaxation. The priestesses who had assembled ahead of D and I were preparing the sanctuary for the 11 am service but they cheerfully stopped what they were doing to warmly greet us and escort us to the inner sanctuary where Rev. Ava smiled broadly and welcomed us with open arms. As I turned my head away from Ava to look around the room a large than life Sekhmet statue obviously situated where one’s eyes would land. She was grandly illuminated and to her right was a regal throne-like chair which Ava instructed me was my seat for the day! O yes! Queen for a day J
Following the opening ritual of blessing/cleansing each of service’s attendees with a frankincense smudge, Ava invited Amina, Priestess of Divination, to honor the four directions. Ava then offered a beautiful homily reflecting on the phases of the moon, honoring the body and welcoming/acknowledging the elements of air, earth, fire and water within and without.
I was then invited to present the systrum and my (abbreviated) slide show all of which was well received. Blessed, blessed, blessed be! There was much enthusiasm surrounding purchases, Thank Goddess/God/Goodness….
… and then D and I headed back to NAMM for one more go ‘round. We said our goodbyes to the folks at Mid-East and then rendezvoused with Sean Lee and headed out for some supper.
Upon returning to Santa Monica, we floated into a supermarket still decked out in our priestess garb, never having taken the time to change since the Goddess Temple program. A handsome young man crossed our path in the produce aisle and said, “Where was that party and why didn’t I get an invitation.” Haha… we all exchanged smiles, struck up a conversation and then exchanged numbers et al, the magic of NAMM and the Goddess Temple still a swirl around and through us!