Earlier this month we had a special visitor spend time with us here in Wellington. Tom Teasley is his name, and percussion is his game. I was delighted to be able to import Tom from the US for a few days as part of our cultural outreach activities.

Tom caught my attention because his work is a rich, vibrant, spontaneous synthesis of diverse influences from his extensive travels around the world. Among many other things, he has served as artist-in-residence at the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts, collaborated with master drummers in Bahrain, and jammed with oud players in Iraq.

Because of Rugby World Cup commitments, I was not able to attend all of Tom’s clinics and performances. Fortunately, he graciously agreed to write a few paragraphs about his activities in New Zealand. Take it away, Tom:

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Tom Teasley.

Tom Teasley:

Thank you, Mr Ambassador. I was honored to be invited to visit.

Let me start by saying that one of the highlights of my career as a musician has been travelling the world as a US State Department cultural envoy.

In that capacity I have toured to Bahrain, Jerusalem, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and now New Zealand and Samoa … my first time in this part of the world.

I was first struck by the generosity of spirit of the people in the Pacific when a taxi driver abandoned his vehicle to help me with my luggage after I arrived in Auckland. He left before I could pay him, and his kindness was the beginning of a memorable tour.

I spent most of my time in Wellington, kicking things off with a visit to Kimi Ora School for special needs children. In my 30-plus years as a professional performer, the performance at Kimi Ora stands out as one of my most memorable. It will stay with me and empower all of my future musical experiences.

Music is a great way to develop understanding, to heal, and to connect with others. That certainly played out dramatically at Kimi Ora. I sensed strong connections with two young boys in particular.

One of the boys had a disability that confined him to bed, and it moved me to see his eyes light up when I played my melodica, a reed type horn sounding somewhat like those played in the Middle East. The other boy who I felt responded in a most touching way turned out to be from Saudi Arabia, and I think he recognized the sounds of his home in my music.

I visited two other schools during my time in Wellington – Aotea College and Silverstream Primary School. At Aotea I did two workshops with high school music students whom I found to be thoroughly engaged with the program. They especially enjoyed learning about Middle Eastern cultures and how those cultures manifest themselves through music.

The students were also fascinated with the science and technology that I apply to my music, and they seemed to find the combination of ancient instruments and computer technology directly relevant to their own interests. The program at Aotea culminated with jam sessions with very talented guitarists, a bassist, and myself, including on some music by George Benson. Having the students see me perform with their friends created an understanding that speech can only hint at.

At Silverstream School, the 450 students were also extremely enthusiastic. Like the students at Aotea, they were very interested in the unusual instruments that I brought with me from various regions in the world, as well as the technology that I used. One boy said that the digital looping (recording in real time to create a virtual ensemble) “seemed like magic.”

Tom plays to children at Silverstream Primary School.

One of the things I most enjoy doing when I travel for the State Department is collaborating with local musicians and learning about their music heritage. I was certainly able to do that in Wellington, including with Cook Island drummers. I really enjoyed getting to know those performers, the instruments, and their music early in my visit.

I was honored to share my music with them in return, and to be invited to join them for a performance as part of their Cook Island Cultural Festival. Traditional Cook Island drums are made of wood, and the rhythms are highly intricate and energetic. I improvised with a mixture of American rhythms inspired by jazz, funk, Arabic, Indian, and African rhythms. It was certainly a cultural exchange, and it seemed to me that the performers and the more than 400 attendees had a great time.

Tom at work on an island rhythm.

The centerpeice of my visit was performing at Te Papa Museum as part of USA Day, one of the many festivals organized to celebrate the Rugby World Cup. It was such an honor to represent the US musically and to have Ambassador Huebner come by to introduce me.

For my performance I wanted to celebrate the great tradition of American Jazz. Jazz is frequently considered to be the merging of African rhythmic sensibility with European harmonic concepts. My goal is to widen the gene pool of jazz to include influences from my Middle East travels. I included musical traditions from India and Africa, as well as music technology.

One of the performances at Te Papa on USA Day.

When not performing, I presented clinics and master classes while I was in Wellington, including at the Goodtime Music Academy with my new friend Jonny Wilson and approximately 50 of his students, teachers, and some young professional drummers. It was so rewarding to work with that group. Jonny is a real entrepreneur and is doing a fantastic job of developing drummers of all ages and abilities.

Finally, I had a chance to integrate myself a little with the Wellington music scene by playing a gig at Meow Café. I played a set on my own and then collaborated with new friends Nick Brown, his band Eb and Sparrow, and Andreas Lepper, a talented drummer and music teacher I had met earlier in the week at Kimi Ora School.

Tom at Kimi Ora School.

My time in New Zealand was over far too quickly, and I hope to have the opportunity to come back again. Although I was sorry to leave, I had another exciting stop ahead, in Samoa. I’ll send you a separate note soon about my adventures with the wonderful people of Samoa.

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Tom, thank you very much for visiting and for sharing your experiences with us. You made quite an impression, and people still occasionally stop to tell me how much they enjoyed seeing you. I look forward to hearing how things went in Samoa.