Ash floated like winter snow over the Townsite avenue that bears its name, but that didn’t stop nearly a dozen residents, visitors and amateur percussionists from playing djembe drums in front of the Old Courthouse Inn last Sunday, July 5.
Their location, just off the southern curb of Marine Avenue, is a new outdoor community space offered by innkeeper Jean-Paul Brosseau and outfitted by the whimsical woodworking talents of Surrey transplant Alan Morgan.
As Brosseau explains, it all started with wanting a bench to honour his mother, the late Edie Rae. After a chance encounter with Morgan at the neighbourhood gas station, the two got talking about some options. “One bench became two and two became three and Alan just kept saying ‘oh, you know this would be a really great place for people to gather’ and I was like wow, what a really great idea,” he recalled.
Morgan took the idea and ran with it, adding some landscaping and additional seating. Then, he set to work finding artistic groups to bring the space alive with their talents. That’s where drummer Chris Weekes came in.
“He’s got a collection of drums,” explained Morgan. “I knew him in Surrey. He moved up here a few years ago after I did. He’s a drummer and so he’s brought in his posse of beginners, a dozen or so people just getting together to play drums. He’s instructing them and bringing a new rhythm a week. It’s really cool.”
Since the spring of 2014, Weekes has led a drum circle at the Wharf at Westview. “Every Tuesday they’re there, and so I’ve kind of commandeered Chris to come and help jump-start this location,” Morgan said.
Having spent most of his 20s in Montreal, Brosseau is no stranger to the djembe. With those fond memories close at hand, he wasn’t about to have the idea drummed out of his parking lot. “I remember doing that on Mont Royal and how much fun it was,” he recalled. “There’s a park on Park Avenue and every Sunday they had TamTams, so hundreds of people would gather around this massive statue of an angel. They’d sit there for hours and people sold food and it was just such a fun thing to do on a weekend.”
Weekes had a similar experience at High Park in Toronto. “I used to go down and just check it out, but my wife [at the time], she actually bought me my first djembe,” he explained. “This would have been maybe 25 years ago.” Since then, Weekes has become something of a master, learning from other hand drummers, playing in bands and even dabbling in music therapy.
“I worked for an agency back in Surrey working with people who were needing a hand,” he continued. “I was able to start facilitating a few drum circles with youth at risk and youth in the justice system and also the mental health system. Drumming is incredible for therapeutic work.”
Through those initiatives, Weekes acquired a large collection of djembes. If someone shows up to either of his weekly drum circles empty-handed, chances are they’ll be paired with one of the dozen or so that are stacked like firewood in his vehicle at any given time. Such was the case last Sunday at the Old Courthouse. When he arrived just after noon, several people were already waiting patiently with their arms outstretched.
“I love drumming because it does attract people who are curious, people who may never have drummed before and you can tell that some of them are interested in trying,” he said. “And then it’s just a matter of inviting them, really. That’s the whole thing. I love the idea of the invitation and inviting strangers to become part of a circle or part of a group. It’s amazing how drumming can sort of break down certain defences sometimes and people tend to open up a little bit more, and definitely you come away feeling good.”
Morgan has set up a Facebook page, Tamtamstownsite, and is hoping to continue to attract user groups to the curbside area. In just three short weeks, the grassy patch has become home to jugglers, poets, and a book exchange as well. It’s safe to say that Brosseau got his bench after all.
“Yeah, and I got carried away,” laughed Morgan.
