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/ Biography [ long biography ]
Tunji Beier was magnificent at the "Brunswick
Music Festival" - he is a fearless musician - his drums knock upon
the unknown and make it known. His performance was exhilarating - never
falling from the tightrope of great feeling, depth and texture - what
a night! We are blessed to be on this earth. James Waller / Melbourne
Artist
Tunji Beier performs improvisations and compositions drawing on various
traditions that have influenced him, especially African,
Indian, Spanish, Indonesian, Norwegian, Macedonian & Classical European
music.
Tunji grew up in New Guinea, Nigeria and Germany and now lives in Australia. In
1980 Tunji went back to Nigeria to study Yoruba percussion. In 1986
he went to South India to study classical indian
percussion with T.A.S.
Mani and stayed there for three years to receive the highest
mark in the state exam for percussion.
For several years he has been artistic director of the Bayreuth (Germany) music
festival "Grenzüberschreitungen" (Border Crossings). When
he returned to Australia from Macedonia, he founded the Center for Multicultural
Music in Perth, later formed multi-cultural groups in New South Wales
and Queensland.
Collaboration with leading jazz musicians:
Bill Cobham, Trilok Gurtu, Charlie Mariano, Burton Greene,
Chris Hinze, Oren Marshal, Markus Stockhausen,
Ashley Slater, Randy Weston, Iain Ballamy, Dave King and many others
..
Classical Yoruba Percussion
Performed
in Nigeria with leading Yoruba Percussionists including Muraina Oyelami,
Ademola Onibonokuta & the Ayandosun family
of drummers for installations of Kings, Masquerades & Acrobats, funerals,
festivals & many social events.
Classical Indian Music
Concerts
throughout South India with Karnataka College Of Percussion & famous singers R.A.Ramamani, Raghavendra,
Ashok & many other singers and instrumentalists. European Tours with
Karnataka College of Percussion & cellist Anup Kumar Biswas. Live
jam with Zakir Hussain in Budapest.
Fusion
with Markus Stockhausen, Ronald Snijders,
Mohamed El Toukhi, Ross Daly, Jaume Bosser, Wafir Sheik El Din, Greg Sheehan,
Djamchid
Chemirani, Agus Super, Terje Isungset, Satsuki Odamura, Volker
Jaekel, Mathew Doyle, Thomas Stronen, Stepanida Borisova, Hulu Project,
Linsey Pollak, Mathias Loibner, Hossam Ramsy Spanish & Indian group
Amalgama, Keyvan Chemirani, Bijan Chemirani and many others.
Major Festivals
Sydney
Festival - 1980 Singapore Arts Festival - 1982 African Roots Festival
- 1983 Come Out Festival - 1985 WOMAD
- 1992 Sogna Bologna - 1992 Augsburg Tent festival - 1992 Rudolstadt
Folkfestival - 1992, 1994, 1998 WOMUFE - 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996,
Border Crossings - 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998,
1999, 2000 Nattjaz - 1996 Woodford Folk Festival - 1998, 1999,
2000 WOMAD - 1999, Multi Kulti - 1999 Multi Kulti - 2000, Förde
Folk Music Festival, Saalfelden Jazz Festival - 2001, Melbourne Festival
- 2001, Woodford Folk Festival - 2001.
Groups Formed
Okuta
Percussion - Percussion band based on Yoruba, Indian, & Norwegan traditions. Bassama - Fusion of Spanish, Sudanese,
Indian & Jazz. Ganpati - Fusion of Indian & Jazz Organ & Percussion
- Fusion of Contemporary church organ music and percussion. Satsuki
Odamura & Tunji Beier - Duo of Japanese Koto & Percussion. Space
Of Colors - Classic, Jazz, Indian & Brazillian influences, Dva -
Macedonian influenced music, dididumdum - coming together for the
first time at Woodford Festival 2001 - progressive Hurdy Gurdy, Winds,
String and Percussion Quartet.
Other Groups
Deishovida
- Austrian contemporary folk band. Ruediger Opperman - fusion with
harp. Schäl Sick Brass Band - world music
brass band. Chermoula - Macedonian based funk fusion. Festival
of "India
On Tour" - North Indian music with dancers, Xenos, Prrim -
with a bass trombone and acoustic bass guitar, ContraBanda - contemporary
Flamenco, Hulu Project (Luigi Archetti and Hubl Greiner).
Artistic Director
Festival
Grenzüberschreitungen Bayreuth (Border
Crossings Festival) - 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998 Opera House
Concerts Bayreuth 1991, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000,
2001.
(Multicultural music in the opera house) Music in the Bank - 1996,
1997, 1998. (Multicultural music series performed in the Schmidt
Bank.
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