Master artist Wang Wei
Photo courtesy of Wang Wei
Chinese folk percussion is not well known in China or the United States. Traditionally, village drummers played in towers to signal special events, drums were played in the military to inspire courage, and farmers used drumming to pace communal planting. Over the years, Chinese string and wind music eclipsed percussion in popularity. Wang Wei and his apprentice Jason Jong are both committed to preserving and popularizing this traditional form. While studying percussion at the Music Conservatory of China in Beijing and the Conservatory of Music in Shanghai, Wang Wei traveled to the regions of Xian and Shannxi to study and preserve local music. He is currently one of the most skilled Chinese drummers in the United States. When Jason Jong became interested in studying Chinese percussion he found that information on the subject was virtually non-existent so he formed the Hei Gu Percussion Ensemble to preserve traditional Chinese percussion music in the Bay Area. Under Wei’s tutelage, Jong will learn lead drumming rhythms.
top
