Description

Join us for a powerful afternoon of rhythm, culture, and artistry that resonates deep within the soul with Chinobay and JoEL Karabo Elliott & Jay Beck

Part of our Afro Rhythm series produced by Chinobay and White Horse Black Mountain.

JoEL Karabo Elliott
Joel is a multi-instrumentalist, composer, poet-philosopher, artist-educator, musical ecologist and guiding curator of the world music ensemble Roots Grown Deep (with hubs in Southern Africa, Appalachia and Brazil). Joel’s musical life was originally influenced by his training in Western classical and American jazz. While living eleven years in South Africa (2008-2019), he was transformed by the rhythms, tonalities, and fluidity of indigenous life in the rural regions of Limpopo. As time went on, Karabo realized a sound of his own and began calling in an ensemble to support his vision for the integration of sound as medicine, culture, performance and community development. Thus, Roots Grown Deep was born. He has performed and facilitated in 17 countries globally and helps people of all ages to awaken spiritually through discovery of their inner music, voice and boundless identity. JoEL’s live performances draw audiences into a participatory, worldly-cosmic journey of “traveling light healing”, combining deep introspection with poetry and anthemic, dynamic songs which exude his multicultural and multilingual fluency. JoEL lives in Swannanoa, NC where he serves as a musical doula and advisory member of the Emberlight Center for Conscious Living & Dying, He holds an M.A. in Consciousness & Human Potential (MIU), and is pioneering an apprenticeship-based higher education program (or Ecoversity) called The Fellowship of Musical Ecology.

CHINOBAY
For more than two decades, Chinobay has built a remarkable international career as a performer, composer, educator, and cultural ambassador. Rooted in the traditions of East Africa and shaped by experiences across more than 70 countries, his music creates meaningful connections between cultures while remaining deeply personal and authentic. Whether performing with the high-energy Wamu Spirit Band, presenting the intimate solo concert Between Worlds, or leading educational residencies and workshops, Chinobay brings audiences into a shared experience of rhythm, story, and human connection. His work has been presented at major festivals, performing arts centers, museums, universities, and community venues throughout North America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and beyond.

Jay Beck

Jay Beck is a percussionist, vocalist, drum-maker, storyteller, actor and educator who has been performing, teaching, touring and recording professionally for many years. He has performed with numerous groups including Madison Greene, Woodspeak, Unidos da Filadelfia, Phillybloco, Netos de Kansala West African Drum and Dance ensemble, Psalters and BEAST.  He is a founder of Holy Fool Arts, a core organizer for the Carnival de Resistance and collaborates with his partner Tevyn East. He has studied West African traditional drumming under Mamady Keita, Babatunde Olatunji and Anssumane Silla. He has studied Afro-Cuban drumming under Baba Clemente (Chuckie) Joseph and Brazilian  samba drumming under Michael Stevens and Junior Teixeira and traditional Sicilian frame drumming with Alessandra Belloni. He has taught cross cultural percussion workshops from age levels of elementary school students to university students as well as at music festivals and after school programs for youth through Artwell in Philadelphia. He currently resides and works at the Dreaming Stone Arts and Ecology Center in traditional Cherokee land now called Rutherfordton, NC, in the Broad river watershed in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains