Currently, he plays the irons in a West African/Calypso fusion band called Rhythm Plus. Beau is an accomplished percussionist on many different drums: djembe, congas, bongos, dumbek, Iron Bell and Ashiko.
A New Phenomenon
The Rhythm+ band fuses popular West African rhythms with West Indian influences to create a new sound that suggests the exotic and the tropical. Partly inspired by the world-renowned Laventille Rhythm Section from Trinidad and Tobago, the group is made up of seven dedicated musicians coming from about as diverse a set of backgrounds as the instruments they play.
According to fonder and leader Tony Ansou John, the primary mandate of the band is to preserve the calypsos of the early to mid-twentieth century. Calypso is an art form that has been superseded by its modern day successor Soca and is largely ignored by the youth. By putting a fresh face on the music Rhythm+ hopes to infuse the younger generation with a sense of pride and new-found respect for a music that by the nineteen fifties and sixties had made a huge impact on popular western music.
Appearances
• “It’s Afrolypso Time” at The Trane Studio
• Ontario Place Vista Courtyard
• Afrofest at Queen’s Park, Toronto
• The Burlington Sound of Music Festival
• The Toronto Pride Blockorama Stage
• The Toronto International Drum Festival
• The Barrie Caribfest Music Festival
• The Scotiabank Caribana Island Lime
