Trevor Watts, Moiré Music Drum Orchestra

Emerging in 1990 after the dissolution of Trevor Watts’ earlier ensembles Moiré Music and the Drum Orchestra, this multi-cultural grouping brought together musicians from diverse backgrounds. Watts explained the shift by noting, ‘With the earlier Moiré Music, we had a purely improvisational group. With the MMDO we moved towards a more structured, integrated music in which all the musicians contribute ideas. The band was originally my idea and I fund all the recording and publicity but the group is fairly open and everybody takes responsibility.’ Anchored in African traditions and rhythms, the ensemble drew on those foundations to support both improvisation and the creation of original material. Based in Hastings, Sussex, England, the group received a British Council grant that enabled a 1993 tour of South Africa, following earlier visits to the USA and Canada. Their concerts typically combined performances with workshops, and listeners responded strongly to the primarily West African-derived rhythmic structures, many supplied by Ghanaian percussionists such as Nana Tsiboe, Nana Appiah, Jojo Yates and Nee-Daku Patato. Watts subsequently established the Moiré Music Trio and the Moiré Music Group, whose members have included Colin McKenzie, Marc Parnell, Ali Iaazane, Roberto Pla and Paapa J Mensah.