More great sounds on follow-up CD

Page 15

Eight years ago, a group of students attending Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence, Kansas got together one day just to hang out and play some music. Out of that impromptu jam session was born Tha Tribe, a contemporary drum group that has made a name for itself both on the powwow circuit and in the recording studio.

Members of the group have come and gone over time, but year after year Tha Tribe produces original songs that merge the traditional with the modern to create a style all its own.

Tha Tribe also stands out from other drum groups thanks to the diversity of its members, who represent Native communities from across North America. That diversity is reflected not only in the style of the songs the group performs, but in the languages they are performed in. Best of Both Worlds-World Two (a follow up to the Best of Both Worlds-World One, released in 2004) features songs performed in Cree, Menominee and Ho-Chunk. The album is the group's seventh solo disc. The contributions of Tha Tribe can also be heard on a number of the Gatherings of Nations albums, including the one that earned both a Grammy and a Nammy in 2000.