Will Calhoun visits the Institute. Reviewed by Christophe Meyer

Will Calhoun's drum Masterclass at the Institute of Contemporary Music Performance on October 26^th was announced in August on the Institute's website. Needless to say this date was engraved in bold in my diary! Actually, this announcement contributed to my final choice of school where I would spend a full year of education as a drummer - I thought if these guys can bring an artist of Will's calibre to their venue, then it must speak for the quality of their network…I was not disappointed! 

Like probably most of the lambda music listeners, I knew Will as the Living Colour drummer, a band that I admired a lot in my teenage years and who was one of the musical inspirations of my very first band (although we never managed to reach the arrangement complexity of 'Love rears its ugly head'!!!).  

I therefore expected a mighty Masterclass of metal-rock drumming from an artist who belonged to the generation of explorative fusion bands, proud descendants of George Clinton & Parliament/Funkadelic heritage, such as Living Colour, Fishbone, Bad Brains, etc.  

What I realised at the Masterclass was that 10 years had passed since Living Colour split, and that's where the journey begun…When we came into the room, a massive, flashing yellow Mapex Saturn series kit was welcoming us - no doubt, Will still has some 'living colour' in his blood! 

Then Will came in, silent and he slowly sat behind his kit to grab some soft mallets. The sound atmosphere created was highly meditative as Will demonstrated the richness of sound subtleties that drums can deliver. Will's face reflected this calm introspection; eyes shut, completely relaxed, only connected with himself. The audience were hypnotised and silent.  

When Will put his iPod on and started accompanying the music with powerful backbeats, a tremendous smile suddenly exploded on his face and he captivated the entire audience; everyone was nodding their head to the beat, enjoying the magic of the groove!

I understood during this Masterclass that Will spent the last decade travelling around the globe in a quest of researching the fundamental meaning of music, going beyond mere entertainment; meeting the roots of rhythm in Motherland Africa, understanding the spiritual side of music during rituals and ceremonies in Asia-Pacific and experiencing and sharing the rich 'fusional' creativity of Brazilian artists.

It was obvious that Will had considerably enriched his horizon and had become not only a complete musician and sound creator but also a wise man and a true citizen of the world. Through his passion and open-mind, together with his humility, Will has been seeding his creativity and is harvesting friendships and fruitful collaborations from every continent.

Will - Many thanks for giving us the chance to share a fragment of your master work. You have a pure heart, just like your music and your sound.