Breaking the Drum Code: Ambitious 3-Pronged Project from Susie Ibarra and Roberto Rodriguez

Drums have often been used traditionally for communication, and are usually part of the foundation of great music. Codes are also a means of communication as well as the foundation of the digital world.

Celebrated percussionists Susie Ibarra and Roberto Rodriguez are unpacking their drums and breaking the codes, and putting it all together in an ambitious digital project that seeks to educate, entertain, and lead to the discovery of music in urban environments. Collectively titled The Song of the Bird King, this three part project contains both the ordinary and the unexpected:

A new digital only release, Drum Codes, that combines traditional drum sounds with modern electronics. This will appeal to fans of the drum, of course, and also those who thrive on the vibe of such albums as Bitches Brew and the work of global jazz artists like Don Cherry and Adam Rudolph.

A documentary film and separate soundtrack album called The Cotobato Sessions, which focuses on the Kalanduyan family, members of the Maguindanaon, a matriarchal Muslim minority on the Philippine Island of Mindanao. Here's a link to the trailer: http://vimeo.com/89272340

A new app, Digital Sanctuaries, that invites the public to alight on a virtual pilgrimage through the built environment of a cityscape, finding meditative spaces in unexpected places, marked by an ever-changing musical score. It's a modular music app that chronicles the historical memory encoded in urban environments while building audio-visual havens for harried city dwellers.

Read all about it, check out the music, and view a trailer for the film, here: www.rockpaperscissors.biz/go/song

NYC events start this weekend June 21! Too many to list in an email, the event schedule can be found at this link.

Photo Credit: Cem Kocyildirim