International Musician

Jah Breeze was born in Guyana, he grew up with African music and has traveled to other continents to perform and study. He is currently artist in residence at Islandwood School on Bainbridge Island and The New School at South Shore, Seattle ,Washington. He holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Speech Communication from Drake University

Jah Breeze is a Rastafarian name meaning God's breath.

He is an international musician and percussionist from Guyana, the only English speaking country in South America. A solo and group performer with experience on drums and other instruments, he grew up with African music and has traveled to other continents to perform and study.

His teachers are world renowned master drummers from West Africa, including Babatunde Olatunji, a Nigerian Yoruba priest known for his "Drums of Passion," and Mamady Keita and Mamady (Wadaba) Kourouma of Guinea, both versed in the Malinke traditions and students of the legendary djembe master drummer, Famadou Konate.

Jah Breeze received a Service to Education Award in May 2000 from Seattle Community College District in recognition of 5 years of dedication to teaching. He served on the board of directors for ArtsCorps, a nonprofit arts education organization. He has directed the African Drum Ensembles at High Point YMCA and Rainier Beach Community Center in the past years, and taught African drum workshops for Rainier Valley Youth Theatre and the Whidbey Institute's youth program, "Power of Hope."

He has performed with the Seattle Dance Company for "Dance Dis" at the Paramount Theatre, and taught African drum workshops at the 2002 Seattle International Children Festival at Seattle Center.

He also directed the Arts Corps African Drum Ensemble in a South African mural exchange celebration at the Seattle Art Museum. Jah served as the Percussion Director for the 2003 MAAFA Performance produced by the Sankofa Theatre, a Pan African Saga about the legacies of the Middle Passage Experience.

He is currently artist in residence at Islandwood School on Bainbridge Island and The New School at South Shore. Participants learn traditional rhythms from Africa, South America and the Caribbean (including steel drums), exploring different timbres and tones of the drums by applying various hand techniques.

They also learn songs and chants from different African cultures, such as the Yoruba, Malinke, and Nyabinghi (Rastafarian Culture). Participants are encouraged to explore their own rhythms, traditions and contemporary cultures with the aim of facilitating diversity and self-acceptance.

He holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Speech Communication from Drake University.

From jankirosemusic