Catalyst Magazine, Salt Lake City, Utah
by Carl Rabke
He welcomes you to his home with a warm smile that radiates through the bushy silver
tendrils of his beard. Stepping through the collection of exotic drums, tablas and cymbals,
you can see a shine in George Grant's eye that lets you know that he is on to something
beautiful and he can't wait to share it with you.
Drum Talk and Devotional Vocal Toning – these meditative, musical, percussive
potpourris of self-expression offer the chance to explore music and voice in a way that most
lessons seem to miss. "It's all about abandoning the known," say George. There is
no form, no expectations for performing in front of others, and no way that is supposed to be.
The sessions grow organic music that feeds off the nutrients of expression and emotion of
those who create it.
George cuts and pastes rhythms and sounds from his vast musical background (which includes
jazz, country, Iranian, and Turkish music along with extensive study in the tabla drums from
India) to create a style that is unique to our time and culture. Rather than following the
drumming and chanting patterns of another society, he seeks to capture and express our
experience. "When historians look back, they will have to recognize the drum and chanting
movement that we are taking part in," he says.
One of George's main focuses is on developing sensitive ears. During the chanting and drumming,
he encourages participants to take a few moments to feel, hear and appreciate what surrounds
them. Personal silence allows the percussive rhythms to flow through the body. At times, the
harmonic resonance is so pervasive that you feel like you are chanting, even as you experience
the sound with silence. Through sitting back and absorbing the music, your own contribution
flows naturally into the stream of sound.
The concept of listening stretches far beyond the skins of the drums. As George notes, "Conversation is an art form." The skills learned in communicating with musical
improvisation are applicable to any conversation that exists without boundaries or
expectations. Michael Levin, in his book The Listening Self, highlights this importance of
listening: "It is imperative, if an historically new kind of self is ever to emerge
from the traditional dualism...our listening needs to learn receptiveness, responsiveness
and care." George's workshops seek out the voice and ear of this new self.
Trying to capture in words the feeling evoked in these workshops is like describing the
colors of a redrock sunset to someone who has never been there – it is a personal
experience, so full of beauty, that is might be easier to say, "Just go see it, then
you will understand." George describes the chanting as a "sonic massage from the
inside out." As you close your eyes and hear the different tones of a chant like
"kyrie" vibrating through your organs, or feel your hands pounding out rhythms of
a musical conversation with a room full of people, it will become clear what he means.
Along with showing George's exceptional rhythm and musical knowledge, his workshops reveal
how gifted he is as an educator. He creates an atmosphere where inhibition is easily
dismantled, and musical potential is tapped and flowing in everyone. These workshops create
an experience that few could ever forget, and we are truly blessed to have an innovative
educator, and drumming virtuoso like George Grant to share his experience with us.
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