(June 2000 Issue)

Though it took more than five years to become a reality, percussionist/drummer Don Alias’s recent seven-city Heartbeat tour of the United Kingdom proved to be well worth the wait. The tour, which kicked off at London’s Queen Elizabeth Hall in January, traveled to sold-out venues throughout England. It also gave Alias the opportunity to work with such heavyweights as conga virtuoso Giovanni Hidalgo, as well as friends Michael Brecker (tenor sax), Randy Brecker (trumpet), Gil Goldstein (piano), Mitch Stein (guitar), Carlos Benavent (bass), Steve Berrios (congas), and Alex Acu’a (drumset).

Most drummers would be happy to have experienced just a few of Don’s career highlights, which include having played percussion on Miles Davis’s Bitches Brew, Weather Report’s Black Market, Tony Williams’ Ego, and Joni Mitchell’s Mingus. But the Heartbeat tour, which was partially made possible by grants from The British Arts Council and LP, gave the band the unique opportunity to create music with elements of Afro-Cuban, jazz, Latin, and free-form. Not surprisingly, the majority of the songs were written and composed by the bandmembers themselves, and featured congas, timbales, bongos, bata, and hand-held percussion.

“Trying to get this group of masters together in one place was not an easy task,” Alias admits. “But as soon as funding from the British government materialized, everyone jumped at the chance to join the band. They knew it was going to be special.”

In addition to a strong camaraderie among the group, there was also a great deal of respect, which could be heard and seen when they performed. “All of those guys are the best at what they do, and are my teachers,” Don enthuses. “This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me, and I am grateful to all of them for making it a reality.”