- What inspired you to get into African drumming and music and dance?

- I guess just growing up I always knew I was gonna be doing music, but in college I did a study abroad, so I went to West Africa for the first time, I went to Senegal, and just got introduced to the drumming and dance and culture and, you know, customs there, and was just kind of blown away by everything and stuff like that.

So since then, which was 2011, I was like, you know, this is something that I really want to pursue.

- And there you are.

- Yeah.

- And like, what are you exactly, do you like drum, dance?

Like, let's give the audience a little bit of like all that you do.

- Yeah, so I play a lot of music from like Senegal, from Guinea, but I started drumming first, you know, when I was there for the first time I bought a little djembe, and I was just kinda walking around the city trying to like pick up what I can, and you know, after getting teachers and things like that, I got more into the dance and started studying that more, you know?

And yeah, I kind of just like to pursue both of them.

- Combine the two.

- Yeah, yeah.

- Which creates a beautiful performance art too.

- Yeah, and it's a language, you know, between the drumming and dance and stuff like that.

So I think having an understanding of both sides of it, it makes your art that much better, you know?

- Beautiful.

And I know storytelling is really intertwined with a lot of like African arts, and a lot of arts in general, what is something that you've played, or dance that you've done that told a story that's reflective of your real life?

- For sure.

Yeah, I mean, I think there's just certain dances that resonate with me, you know, but certain songs that I just even most recently wrote, you know, times that test my faith, those moments I choose to pray, you know what I'm saying?

Like, that's my real life when I'm like, okay, you're going through things, and whether you let your perception and self dictate your mindset is something that, you know, I've overcome.

You know, I still even address it in a lot of ways and stuff, like, I think we as people do.

I think, other rhythms, right?

There's some rhythms, like rites of passages and stuff like that.

- What is that, like rites of passages?

When you say rhythms, like what exactly does, because like rhythms may mean so many things, like to different people, just because based off the music style or what they enjoy.

So what are these African rhythms like?

Can you define that a little bit?

- Yeah, so I guess just speaking to like djembe music, music from Guinea and West Africa, music from Mali and stuff like that, I mean, I guess it's similar to a quinceanera, right?

Or a bar mitzvah or something like that, it's just coming of age things and stuff like that.

And you know, when I'm even teaching and talking to kids and stuff like that, I'm like, okay, this is a rhythm that's traditionally played for young boys, or young girls when they're coming of age and stuff, and it's a rite to passage.

It might be learning this dance from an older dancer or whatever, and you know, just learning the history of the dance and who started it, and where and things.

- Cultural significance, like a lot of that goes back to that storytelling piece.

- Mm-hmm.

- Do you ever add a contemporary twist?

Or, do you just like, I'm just gonna take this beat, or this rhythm or this dance, and, I'm not gonna add no spice to it, I'm just keep it how it is, very traditional?

Or do you add your own like Jordan Hill?

- For sure.

Yeah, for sure.

I think there's a combination of like keeping it how it is, I think incorporating it into, you know, my own, and then there's just really deviating and maybe using something electronic or, you know.

But I think just the idea of, if I'm playing a traditional rhythm, like dundumba, right, the dance of the strong man, or something like that, and I'm wearing like a suit and I'm doing that dance, it's like, that is kind of a contemporary element and stuff like that.

And you know, when you see these artists from those places and how they present themselves now, whether they're wearing traditional garment or they're wearing, you know, stuff that they're comfortable in, whether it's street wear or suits and stuff like that, like, I think you see that process of how traditional art has met contemporary art, you see that here in a place like Cuba and stuff.

Yeah, so those are things that I kind of think I like to, you know, but sometimes it's like, yeah, you just want to keep something how it is.

- So I want to go back a little bit, you said educating youth.

So, I know you do some education with youth, you go to school, you go to all types of places and really give your skills, passions and talents and showcase them to local youth, and youth all over it seems like.

So why do you personally think, as a Black artist in this creative field, why do you think it's important for other Black kids to, or kids of the African diaspora to be introduced to African drum and music and performance art?

Like, do you think that's important for Black youth today?

- Yeah, absolutely, absolutely.

You know, I wish I got introduced to it when I was younger, you know, I was like relatively, 22, which is relatively old to, you know, get introduced to it, so it's a gift and an honor to be able to go into a middle school, elementary school, preschool and you know, talk about this drumming, this dance, travels and stuff.

And I mean, it's just fun, you know, for starters, right?

But I mean, I think there's so many different layers about why it's important to just give the youth more opportunities to learn about, you know, art, music, dance, culture, and you know, things outside of what they might see, right?

And how it's relevant to where they are today in society and stuff like that.

Whether we're learning a dance about a harvest, right?

And like attaching that to society today, and okay, you know, what is our harvest, you know?

And, okay, farming, and what's our relationship to the land now and stuff.

And some people that may not have, you know, we were talking before about just being around farming and gardening and stuff, some people that may not have had that experience, and how their attachment to it might be different from someone who understands and appreciates it, you know?

So I think, yeah, using art as a way to kind of connect that in another way that's fun and you know, it's like, yeah, we play this music when people are out, you know, getting their squash or pumpkins, or whatever it is and stuff like that, you know?

- And I would say it's kind of like reclaiming your history a little bit too, you know?

Your like ancestral history, through visual, you know, visual dance, physically hearing the drums, and you mentioned the strong man, that's like very physical.

- Absolutely - So I think that's really beautiful for like kids, whose ancestral ties are to that, to see again, because it could be washed away throughout history.

- For sure.

- Awesome.

Before we wrap up, any events you have coming up?

- I mean, there's always something going on, you know.

But I'm always just writing, always teaching and stuff, doing workshops, so.

- Where do you do your workshops at?

- A lot of times people just reach out to me.

So like I'll do something in schools or colleges, or art centers, museums and stuff like that.

- All right, well folks you heard it, or reach out to Jordan if you want a book.

All right, thank you so much for joining us today.

- Thank you.

- Awesome.