Bashiri Johnson
Rhythms are like oceans. They have many sources. My rhythms come from the streets, from divine intervention, traditions, the sky, everything, anything.
When I began playing, the world was my instrument. According to my mother, I started in pre-school, disrupting class by playing on desktops, chairs, toys and anything else I could find a groove on. My home is Bedford Stuyvesant, Brooklyn where I learned from the neighborhood "street school." But early on, I knew there was a whole world of music going on inside Bed-Stuy and out.
Today, I've had the opportunity to perform with Michael Jackson, Steve Winwood, Anita Baker, George Michael, Gloria Estefan, Celine Dion, Mariah Carey, Angelique Kidjo, Toshi Kubota, Maxwell, Miles Davis, Luther Vandross, Carol King, James Taylor, Spice Girls, Sade, Aretha Franklin, Blues Traveler, Brandy, Peter Wolf, Eric Clapton, Lionel Richie, C&C Music Factory, Whitney Houston, Donald Fagen, Madonna and many other great artists.
As long as I'm playing, I am learning. I've grown up, yet I haven't changed. I will always be a student. I will always be inspired by incredible percussionists, by my roots in Africa, by the world around me.