Gert Kilian - Percussion Unlimited

KÂLA ETHNO GROOVE

CD "Voyages Africains"

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Memories...

"I’d like to express my heartfelt thanks to Gert for his inspirational balafon session with students from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. Gert is a wonderful musician and inspirational teacher."

Regards,
Daryl Pratt
Chair of Percussion
SYDNEY CONSERVATORIUM OF MUSIC
The University of Sydney

"The Christchurch workshop with Gert Kilian was an afternoon with excellent balance between education (musical and historical) and entertainment.  We learnt poly-motions, poly-rhythms and many (poly) ideas for pentatonic performance ideas. Highly recommended!" 

Brett Painter, Principal Percussion - Christchurch Symphony Orchestra
Director - Pandemonium Percussion 

"Gert Kilian animated a series of interactive workshops at the Alliance Française de Sydney for three different schools. This was a magical experience for the students, whose inhibitions gave way to the hypnotic melodies of the balafon. These workshops privilege students’ own participation, before long they are creating music with their voices and hands, in tandem with the sounds of the balafon. Thank you Gert for your energy and enthusiasm, and for enabling students to develop their appreciation of this marvellous instrument! "

Alliance Française - Sydney
Finola Methven School
Programs Coordinator 

"Thank you Gert Kilian for an amazing musical experience. Your knowlege and experience of African Percussion and the Balafon was a joy to learn about and be a part of for all involved. Gerts performance is extremely entertaining. He involves the students in Body percussion, singing and even teaches them some african dance moves. 
I would recommend Gert to any School or University looking to strengthen their music program with a performance of African song and Dance. His Balafon playing is truly amazing and the Highlight of the show." 

Shannon Wunderwald
Music Teacher at The French School of Sydney. 

Make the Soul dance

balafon-workshop in Africa from 28 déc. 2008 – 12 jan. 2009

We came from Germany, France and Switzerland and we met for the first time at the Paris airport. Our destination was Konsankuy, a village in the south-east of Mali in West Africa. Here, in the heart of the savannah, in the middle of the Bobo country, took place the workshop organized by Gert Kilian.

Aly Keita, the famous balafon master, grew up in Konsankuy and that is where the film for the DVD “The Balafon with Aly Keita & Gert Kilian” was shot.
Our teachers are Youssouf and Kassoum, Aly’s brother and his cousin.

We play in the shade of the mango tree and we really enjoy ourselves and have a lot of fun! We work for about six to seven hours a day for ten days and learn seven traditional pieces of the Bobo, Bambara and Senoufo with, in all, thirty patterns, melodies and “chauffés”.

Meantimes, Fatoumata and Fanta serve delicious meals of authentic African cuisine. Pretty soon we become members of the big family in the Keitas’ court. We feel delighted by the hospitality and friendliness of the people and the natural behavior of the children.

Together with Kassoum’s group SUPER ZAMAZA we go to Fangasso to attend an overwhelming feast with music, dance and dolo, the millet beer. There is a day off in the middle of the workshop, so we visit the old town of Djenné with its magnificent mosque. We eat fresh “capitaine”, fish from the Niger and then we go for a pirogue trip on the rivrer.

But we are already looking forward to getting back to the balafon music, longing for its glowing energy and its magic groove, digging its power in the weaving of the different counterpoints, making the soul dance!

On the last day we have a “recording session”. We play and film the whole repertoire, and we are very satisfied with the result of the workshop (extracts on YOUTUBE below).

Then we have to say Good bye. But we don’t go with empty hearts nor empty ears! The music is still lingering inside us and we are looking forward to sharing it with others.

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