supporting artists
Dr. Lynne Morrow is the Music Director of the Pacific Edge Voices (formerly the Pacific Mozart Ensemble). She and the ensemble received Grammy nominations in 2006 for the recording of Leonard Bernstein’s Mass. In 2010, their long-time collaboration with Dave Brubeck led to the release of “Dave Brubeck: Songs of Praise” with Dorian Recordings. A second recording of Brubeck’s music, “Brubeck and American Poets,” was released in August 2012. Dr. Morrow is also the Music Director of the Oakland Symphony Chorus. During her tenure, the scope of the chorus has expanded to include contemporary, international and neglected works along with traditional classical repertoire. She conducts OSC’s workshop performances of major works, hosts summer choral outreach sing-ins and prepares the chorus for work with Oakland Symphony Orchestra. In March 2013 she conducted Oakland Symphony and Oakland Symphony Chorus in a subscription performance of Faure’s “Requiem.” Morrow’s new ensemble, Quanta Chorale, has made the first recording of the choral works of California composer, Elinor Remick Warren. This project, soon to be released by Cambria Records, will showcase exciting and challenging repertoire for mixed and women’s chorus.Lynne Morrow directs the Voice and Opera/Music Theatre programs at Sonoma State University. She enjoys creating a visceral connection to music—presenting works from every corner of the musical arts in fresh ways to reach the widest possible audiences. Dr. Lynne is also a contributing and performing artist with Prosperity Movement.
Kele Nitoto is a second-generation African American percussionist. Having studied with Masters of many styles, Kele has become proficient in West African, Congolese, Afro-Cuban, Afro-Peruvian, and Afro-Haitian traditional drumming. Since 1993 Kele has performed throughout California with such groups as the children's group S.U.D.U.A. House, award winning modern dance ensemble Dimensions Dance Theater, Haitian group Project Reconnect, The Peruvian Dance Ensemble, Congolese troupes Ballet Lisanga, and Internationally renowned Fua Dia Congo. A co-founder the Black Dot Artist Collective, Kele has also become one of the Bay Area’s most sought after percussionists for R+B, Hip-Hop and Jazz. He has played with such Funk/R+B groups as Electric Church, Xroads, The Jua Theory, Hip-Hop/ band Hairdoo, and Jazz trio E.S.P., Funk group Soul Mechanix, and Bay Area blues legend Augusta Lee Collins. He currently plays with Urban World artist WolfHawkJaguar, Prosperity Movement, and Haitian Dance ensemble Elwa Movement. Kele has taught hundreds of workshops and classes over the years with adults and children. He has taught at summer camps, spiritual and workplace retreats, and for countless ceremonies and celebrations. Through it all he continues to explore all aspects of percussive music, and what it can mean to those who hear it.
Adisa Stewart, left, Tobaji Stewart, center, and Ade Stewart right
Musical Director of Awon Ohun Omnira since 2010, Tobaji Stewart has been a fixture as a percussionist in the Bay Area for more than 40 years. A renowned rumbero and accompanist for Haitian, Cuban and West African dance classes, he was also a side man in various local bands where he played a range of instruments from djembe to chekere and trap drums. A founding participant in S.F. Carnaval, he also produced and directed ‘Ojo Bo Ire,’ (a revue of Brazilian and Cuban music) in the 1980s and toured with the S.F. Mime Troupe in the 1990s. Stewart now devotes all of his time to African-derived sacred music. Even so, Olu Bata (master drummer) barely describes his role within the community of practitioners of West African sacred knowledge where he has been a teacher and leader of formal and informal ceremonies. Most recently he has added to his repertoire the songs of the ‘Ring Shout,’ a cultural tradition among Southern blacks in the U.S. with undeniable ties to Africa. With an eye to increase awareness of the value of African and African American tradition, Awon Ohun Omnira presents to the public the ‘Ring Shout’ as well as ‘Oro Egun’ and ‘Aranla,’ liturgical homages to the ancestors and the Orisha respectively. Consisting of a small chorus accompanied by three Bata drummers, Awon Ohun Omnira has appeared at colleges, libraries, schools, senior centers, churches and festivals for Black History Month, Juneteenth and other African American cultural observances.
Tacuma King is an extraordinary teacher, master percussionist and prominent part of the Bay Area’s music, dance and arts education community.
Tacuma has been teaching classes and leading students in performance since founding the Children in Flight program in 1993. For thirteen years his class has been an important—and sometimes only—gateway into the arts for many underserved, inner-city children.
Among the many artists and groups Tacuma has worked with are the San Francisco Symphony, Young Audiences, the Sun Ra Archestra, Cross Pulse, Shaka Zulu, Bantaba Dance Ensemble and his musical mentor Moshe Milon.
Whether teaching West African djembe and dundun drumming, teaching a South African gum boot dance or leading students in a New Orleans-style second line jazz procession, he brings an exuberant warmth and playful magic to his classes and workshops.
Kash Killion is a San Francisco based cellist, bassist, sarangist, vocalist, and composer, who began his professional music career at age ten. Kash is a visionary musician who stretches the boundaries of what one would expect from string instruments. He hears the cello as a bass, a violin, a guitar, a saxophone, and a piano, and he seeks to share that with his listeners. He strives to put the string instruments in unusual situations and play any style of music and make it sound authentic. His focus is to create something unique, and from that his music and CDs have wide appeal, as there is something for everyone to enjoy. Kash records and performs with various ethnic music ensembles and chamber orchestras ranging from the Sun Ra Arkestra to Cuban/Salsa bands such as Roberto Borrell y Orquesta La Moderna Tradición to classical music and Indian classical music, and has over a hundred recordings to his credit. He also performed as a singer on the movie The General’s Daughter and numerous other movie and commercial projects. Kash has played extensively with musical icons such as B.B. King, Cecil Taylor, John Zorn, Julius Hemphill, Reggie Workman, Sun Ra, Butch Morris, Paul Murphy, Glen Spearman, George Lewis, Alvin Baptiste, Chocolate Armenteros, Richard Egues, Larry Willis, Steve Berrios, and Francisco Aquabella.
Born in Trinidad and Tobago, Dj Kobie was always an avid music listener, party goer and sometimes an artist (yes he sang some calypso). He moved to SF Bay area in 1997 and made a connection with the Notorious Blacka Fox from the Golden AXE crew who taught him the art of the turntable vinyl and 45's. Maximum Respect to the Spida, Leo and AG, JAI, CARLOS. Dj Kobie then moved on to create Ashanti Hi Fi SoundSystem and signed to independent Reggae label Greensphere records. He has rocked parties throughout California, Trinidad, Jamaica, Brazil, Mexico, South Africa and Ethiopia. Ashanti Hi Fi has also shared the stage supported some of the world's biggest reggae stars including, Barrington Levy, Mikey Dread, Bounty Killer, Mega Banton, RickyGeneral, Blaak Lung, Arkaingelle, Ras Attitude, Pressure, Buss Pipe, Lutan Fyah, Midnite among others. Dj Kobie is versatile and is fluent across Music genres. Although there is always an ongoing homage to reggae music...his mixes involve soca, electronic, afrobeat and hip hop. Definitely an international flavor. He can also draw for dubplates and will defend The Ashanti Hi Fi SoundSystem at a moments notice. WWW.ALLDAYPLAY.FM/PARTYEXPLOSION