THE GOAN
PANAJI:
He has spent close to five decades experimenting with different genres of music, playing with maestros in Goa, Pundits and Ustads across India's classical music landscape, with jazz masters globally and even dabbled a bit in Bollywood's music industry, always experimenting with the magic in his hands on drums and percussions.
Goa's legendary percussionist, James 'Bondo' Fernandes (no one really knows his real name) has sprung a surprise, setting his sights now on grooming a 'drum circle' at the best known fitness address in fast urbanising Porvorim: Norbert's.
Best known for his versatility for playing on self-assembled instruments made out of home utensils and discarded objects, Bondo is hoping his newest experiment will add another 'beautiful' feather to Goa's music tradition, drawing people to simply enjoy a sublime drumming experience.
According to 'Bondo' who spent several years outside Goa across India and overseas mostly in South America making a living drumming, 'drum circles' have roots in tribal communities of Africa, where drums were used to communicate between villages and to also celebrate.
Primarily self-taught in his pre-teens in Panjim, Bondo acknowledges that he honed his musical and drumming skills first when the famed maestro from St Cruz, the late Santan Cotta took him under his wings.
"Later, I was lucky to find guidance and the watchful eyes of Ustad Prabhakar Chari at the Swami Vivekananda Society on the top floor of Junta House," Bondo says.
At his 'drum circle' at Norbert's Gym in Porvorim, Bondo says he will welcome and mentor drums and percussion enthusiasts of all ages every Sunday and is open to also entertain corporates and businesses who may want their people to unwind with a session curated to sooth minds and soul with the therapy of the sounds of drums and percussions.
