At the heart of any great artist’s style or sound is the influence of his spiritual and cultural roots.  Some performers and composers make obvious, artificial references to this influence, and others simply exploit it to create derivative material.  But the finest composers and artists become involved with their roots on a deeper level, and thus allow their heritage to have a truly profound effect on their work, while creating entirely new material.

Kimati Dinizulu is such an artist, a believer that it is essential to pay heed to influences from the past while always looking toward the development of new musical works.  He has played drums all of his life, first learning to play from his father in New York, and later continuing his extensive studies in Ghana, West Africa.  There, Kimati studied with elders of the Fanti people, the master drummers whose tutelage proved invaluable in his development as a leading practitioner of African drumming.  A major influence on his musical growth and creative energies was his involvement with the Fanti’s Asafo (warrior) music, a tradition dating back many centuries.

For Kimati Dinizulu, the study of drumming is a lifetime process.  His encyclopedic knowledge of drums, percussion, and the art of drumming come from his heartfelt love of music and learning, his worldwide travels and studies of the music of other cultures.  Mr. Dinizulu composes and performs regularly with his Kotoko Society, a group of the finest musicians assembled from around the world.  Members of the Society represent many nations, including Ghana, Senegal, Nigeria, Haiti, Trinidad, Barbados, Brazil, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, St. Martin, Panama and the United States of America.

His Kotoko Society was formed with the intention of continually exploring musical styles from Africa, the Caribbean, Brazil, and everywhere that African music has found a new home in which to take root.  But more importantly, his Kotoko Society was assembled to perform the new musical style known as Sankofa, created by Kimati Dinizulu with the goal of raising cultural awareness among all people, especially African Americans, through the use of all traditional instruments.

Sankofa is a proverbial term from the language of the Akan people of Ghana.  The symbol used to represent Sankofa is that of a bird turning its head and body backward to look at its tail.  This image represents going back into the past, and discovering knowledge that will be of benefit to people in the future.  Kimati Dinizulu follows this philosophy in presenting HIS Kotoko Society.  Traditional instruments from a wide variety of lands and cultures are represented in his Kotoko Society's performances.  But Kimati Dinizulu does not stop with using ancient or even current percussion instruments for he is continually introducing new musical instruments of his own design and construction, to complement those, which are already employed by the Kotoko Society.  The collection of instruments that the Society plays already numbers over 500, and that number is growing every day.

The Kotoko Society regularly performs at leading concert venues as well as major universities and great cultural institutions.  They have appeared at the American Museum of Natural History, Columbia University, Medgar Evers College, Long Island University, as well as other such diverse environments as the Trump Tower and the Philadelphia Folk Festival.  In addition, the group regularly appears at major nightclubs such as The Sounds of Brazil (S.O.B.’s).  The Sankofa music, complemented by marvelous African dance performances, always proves to be an inspiration to audiences everywhere.  Whether performing for dignitaries, patrons of the arts, students or children, the high-spirited music and dance is always completely infectious.  Kimati Dinizulu’s presence, positioned over his eight-foot carved drum with numerous other drums hanging off his body, is one of the most riveting images in modern music.

Kimati Dinizulu's work also includes drum accompaniment for many highly respected dance groups, including The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, The Charles Moore Dancers, The Dance Theater of Harlem, and the Loremil Machado Afro-Brazilian Dance Company.

Mr. Dinizulu has appeared with musical artists of the caliber of Eartha Kitt, Nina Simone, Jackie McLean, and Roy Ayers.  He has recorded with Harry Belafonte, Paul Winters Consort, Lonnie Liston Smith, and was featured on the soundtrack album from the motion picture “Beat Street.”

His composition “Divining”, a collaboration with artist/composer Monti Ellison, was commissioned for choreographer Judith Jamison by the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.

Kimati Dinizulu and his Kotoko Society are available for performance bookings at all special events, cultural affairs, university concerts, fund-raisers and festivals.  The group can appear in various modulated forms, to meet the needs of your event and budget.  Depending upon your needs, Kimati Dinizulu and his Kotoko Society are flexible in their performance structure, and can appear as performers or lectures demonstrating traditional instruments in Sankofa and traditional African styles.

For further information, please contact:
The Dinizulu Center of African Culture & Research
115-62 Sutphin Boulevard
Jamaica, New York 11434
(718) 528-6279 / (718) 843-6213 
E-mail: info@dinizulu.org