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Percussion & band projects.
1996 to 2022 - Biography:
English percussionist Tim Dodd was born in Accra, Ghana in Africa. He started to play the drums at the age of nine whilst attending Wells Cathedral School in Somerset UK – respected for music education, learning both jazz kit and orchestral percussion and leading the school rock band Metallic Gold.
Tim’s love of rhythm led him to Africa and from there to the contagious music of Latin America – busting with beat, swing, soul and passion, and of course inevitably to the great masters of Latin rhythm and percussion. It was here he embarked on what for him has become a seemingly endless journey into the realm of Latin percussion.
Tim studied percussion in London, Paris and Havana with some of the super stars of percussion in the Latin music scene – rhythm maestro Giovanni Hidalgo, the legendary “Changito” and Tata Guines and the younger vibrant masters Orlando Poleo and Miguel Anga Diaz, to name a few.
From 1996 Tim was based in London and worked as a freelance percussionist focusing on congas.
In 1996 he established Balangandan, His own fire’y Latin Jazz and Salsa combo – comprising a talented international line-up of acclaimed London based musicians, The band quickly gained respect and recognition as one of the leading Latin outfits in England.
The band performed at venue such as the Royal festival Hall, the Barbican Centre, 606 Jazz Club, and Smollensky’s, with private clients from the London Philharmonic Orchestra to as far away is the Seychelles.
Tim released Balagandan’s debute CD “En Cha” In 1999 – the same year the band also received Jazz Live’s “Band of the Year Award“.
Moved by Cuban music in 2000 Tim set up Balanganson a sweet but hard-hitting 4 to 7 piece traditional Afro-Cuban son group working in the style of “Buena Vista Social Club” and featuring the Cuban tres guitar, violin and trumpet.
RePercussion, a project set up by Tim in 2001, was a unique collaboration of London’s leading percussionist. RePercussion offered agents, clubs/venues, DJ’s, corporate and private clients the reality of a powerful hybrid of dance music with live explosive Afro Latin rhythms and pulse with the sole intention of pure impact, for DJ/Percussion performances or percussion show spectaculars.
In 2005 Tim travelled to Ethiopia, Here he engaged with numerous talented Ethiopian musicians, some recently returning from Berkeley School of music in America. He was invited to join numerous bands and play for some of the most respected singers in the country such as Aster Aweke, Mamoud Ahmed, Tedros Tadesse, Teddy Afro.
In 2010 Tim set up in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia a new hybrid project fusing popular Ethiopian classics and Afro-Cuban son and Latin Jazz with overtones of other popular music’s.
This band - Eshee Havana, quickly became very popular in Addis Ababa and the band continued playing live until 2018 where Tim had to return to London.
Later in 2018 and back in England, Tim, with Satin Singh one of London's leading percussionists, created a new fusion project – Head2heaD.
The band comprised some of London’s leading salsa and jazz musicians, Tristan Banks, Jimmy Hernandes, Javier Fioramonti, Luke Rathenbury and Ping Lee.
This was a feasibility project to establish popularity in this genre but sadly goverment lockdowns stole the show and the project was put on hold.
This project is planned to be reintroduced again in the future.
Tim has freelanced in a myriad of musical styles as well as Salsa –:
Cuban Timba – Osvaldo Chacon, Cuban Latin Jazz – Balangandan, Omar Valle @ JVC international Jazz festival Rome, and Cubana Bob, South African – Roland Perrin’s Blue Planet orchestra, Afro Jazz – Gail Thompson’s Digitack and the Jazz African big band, Brazilian Latin Jazz – Samara and Coupe d’tat, Jazz Big Band – Hot Orange big band, Acid Jazz - Escalators (Japan), American Country & Western – Angela McClusky, Cajun – Movable Feast, Pop – Boney M., Latin House – Tito Heron and Soleal, House – Eva Luna, Club Resident percussionist - Hanover Grand, Ikon Diva, Ethiopian music in Ethiopia – Aster Aweke, Mahmoud Ahmed, Tedros Tadesse, Teddy Afro, Mulato Astatke and many more, Ethio Salsa - Eshee Havana (Ethiopia), Latin/Funk/African Fusion – Head2heaD.
Now after the difficulties of 2020/21 - 2022 brings the year where Balangandan plans to be reintroduced into London’s vibrant live music scene and once again offer citizens of London and further afield Balangandan’s music.
Other great news Rey Crespo will be continueing to be Musical Director, along with many of the original players aswell as some exciting new players working in different genres - all contributing to a new and exciting hybrid of Afro-Cuban-World-Jazz sounds.
Updates will be posted on timdoddmusic.com for all new dates acquired and scheduled for all above projects.
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