Benefit Concert Series Opens with Kofi Dennis
Storyteller, drummer performs with daughters to benefit Children's Defense Fund
Growing up in Ghana, Kofi Dennis was not exposed to music. Not directly, anyway. Dennis' parents, strict in their religion, did not allow drumming or music. Little did they know, Dennis was hearing rhythms and music in everyday life. Dennis did not realize how musical his childhood was until he had been removed from it for a while before returning to teach in Ghana. Then he heard the candence of a traditional call and response. The musicality and rhythm of field workers. And it all clicked. The sounds moved him, and he wanted to share them with anyone who would listen. So he began telling stories and coupled them with the rhythms they inspired. He taught himself to drum and spends his time in drum circles as a way to communicate and relate…
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