Biography
Ajoite (pronounced "A-joe-white") is an Afro-groove ensemble based in Chicago, Illinois. The group originated in 2001 from a devotion to traditional West African drum rhythms, especially as taught by Samba Coumba N'Gom of Lotmengeh, Senegal, to Tony "Toneji" Garrett and Peter "Petey" Mueller. A weekly drum circle at Z'Afrique African Arts shop on the north side of Chicago soon brought in a variety of musicians : when Hiram Broyls III (bass/effects) and Steve Brown (keyboards/didgeridoo/percussion) added their instruments to the drum and percussion patterns, the ensemble flowered quickly. While keeping the traditional rhythms as the foundation, an original style emerged from the addition of Van Gordon Martin, Ha Ish Zekeem, and Phil Upchurch Jr. on guitars and effects, Chris Castellan on drum kit, Gynna B. Kray on djembe and voice, and Charlie Barbera on hand drums and percussion. Kurt Iselt and David Meyers added saxophone and trumpet to the mix, while Tony Garrett had been alternating between horn and hand drums all along. The group released its debut album "Kassa" in 2003. The songs drew from influences such as reggae, afro-beat, funk, jazz, and psychedelic rock. Ajoite now plays only occasionally, mostly around the winter holidays, as the members have moved on to various projects and parts of the world.
The band's name comes from a mineral found in only two places in the world : Ajo, Arizona (thus pronounced "A-ho-white" to most gemologists), and South Africa (where it is pronounced "A-joe-white"). It is an aqua-marine colored "phantom" crystal, meaning it is found inside of other crystals. In South Africa, the mineral was discovered by workers inside of a copper mine and removed clandestinely; when the copper was mined out, the mine was flooded. Metaphysically, it has been found to connect the heart and throat chakras, allowing the bearer to speak from the heart, which is to speak the truth. Tony Garrett chose the name for the ensemble because the group is a form of blended African rock, like the mineral.
Related Projects:
X-DUB FACTOR (Broyls)
SPIRITUAL REZ (Martin) : http://www.last.fm/music/Spiritual%2520Rez
ENVIRONMENTAL ENCROACHMENT (Mueller / Barbera / Iselt / Meyers) : http://www.last.fm/music/environmental+encroachment
THE ASTRAL-TERRA TRAPEZE UNIT (Iselt / Kray) : http://www.myspace.com/theastralterratrapezeunit
LEFT BANK JAZZ SOCIETY (Martin / Brown / Castellan / Broyls)
AJOITE PERCUSSION GROUP (Garrett)
JUNGLE STREET ROCKERS (Mueller / Castellan / Broyls / H.I. Zekeem) :
http://www.myspace.com/misterpeteymusic
GYNNA B. KRAY (solo) : http://www.myspace.com/gynnabkray
URBANE TURTLE ENTERTAINMENT (H.I. Zekeem) : http://www.ute007.com/
MANIGUA (Barbera) : http://www.manigua.org/
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