For the past two days NPRs been reporting on Keith Terry’s First International Body Music Festival in San Francisco. Body percussion and music is not the new thing — at least to me because one of my BFFs, David Pleasant, has been doing it like FOR-EVA. You see, David is Gullah, from the Georgia Sea Islands via Savannah, GA. It’s the closest you can get to African culture on the North American continent – that is Africans in America. (Of course, New Orleans will debate it; but that’s an old rivalry I discovered that just goes on). My earliest introduction to body music was Hambone – and I think I saw that on “The Little Rascals.” Then David introduced me to body percussion and music from the Gullah tradition. Then came the Greek lines which was the “stepping off” point for the group Step Afrika. I introduced David to Step Afrika. They’ve been workshoping and collaborating for several years.

The thing about body music is that it’s not just body, it’s mind, spirit/soul in perfect unison.

“Why aren’t you performing at this festival?” I left on David’s voice mail. Of course, David has an answer for why he does things the way he do. He sent me information about a YouTube link from the Nick children’s program, “Jack’s Big Music Show.” The kid with the ‘fro is his son Powers.

Got rhythm?