Bhadra Collective consists of seasoned musicians who found each other because of a mutual interest in chant music. It is a collective of Toronto musicians representing a variety of cultures. We have members from African, First Nations Canadian, Palestinian, East Indian, Australian, and Eurpoean traditions.
Bhadra performances can vary according to budget and venue. The band can be as small as 2 pieces or as large as 8 pieces, and can include instruments such as didgeridoo, dilruba, tampura, trumpet/flugelhorn and doumbek, as well as the more typical bass, guitars, keys and drums.
“Sometimes we include a troop of dancers with the idea that it is a collective of musicians and artists with similar interests and spiritual connections.” “Every Bhadra performance is a little different, with lots of audience participation and lots of fun”, says Dennis Gaumond.
Dennis Gaumond is Bhadra Collective’s founding member. Singing lead vocals, playing an unorthodox brand of slide guitar, flute and strangely tuned harmonicas, Gaumond draws on a lifetime of professional musical experience, as well as a love for exotic music from all cultures. He has played in many professional bands for the past thirty years and has released two CDs under the name, Dennis Gomo. (www.home.golden.net/dgomo)
Dennis is also a ‘sound healer’ who has presented ‘Sacred Sound Workshops’ and seminars across Canada . These events include mantra, overtone singing, crystal bowls, chanting, drumming and more. As the founder of the Guelph Chant Club, the Waterloo Chant Club and someone who has presented this new style of music across the country, he has developed a sound that resulted from a melding of world-beat music and spiritual chanting.
A Bhadra performance is an interactive event. The nature of chant music is such that everyone has the opportunity to participate — to sing along with the repeated phrases. The difference is, Bhadra music is also immensely danceable. Built upon trippy, house/hip hop loops, this music induces a euphoric party for both the soul and the body.
www.myspace.com/dennisgaumondandthebhadracollective
www.bhadra.ca
Written By: Diana Olson – diolson05@yahoo.com