When the Drummers Were Women: A Spiritual History of Rhythm

by Layne Redmond

Book Overview

In this long-awaited, lavishly illustrated book, drummer Layne Redmond presents an empowering narrative history of the sacred drum in the ancient Goddess civilization, using her extensive collection of images gathered during more than five years of research and travel in the Mideast and Europe. 80 photos & drawings.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0609801287
• ISBN13: 9780609801284
• Release Date: May 1997
• Publisher: Three Rivers Press
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 1.04 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.2" x 0.7" x 7.5"

Customer Reviews

A Treasure!

RE: simplistic feminist fluff??? Someone has a problem with successful women!!! Let's get some facts about Layne Redmond down here: Drum! Magazine readers (a rocker's mag, predominately read by young males) in 2002 voted Layne Redmond Percussionist of the Year, her album Trance Union, Percussion Album of the Year and her video, Rhythmic Wisdom, Percussion Video of the Year. In 2003 they once again voted Trance Union, Percussion Album of the Year. In 2003 the editorial staff of Drum! listed Layne Redmond as one of the 53 Heavyweight Drummers Who Made A Difference in the 90's, along with drummers like Tony Williams, Roy Haynes, Zakir Hussain, Elvin Jones and Micky Hart. By the way, she is the only woman on this list. Drum! Mag readers are well known for being into simplistic feminist fluff! She was the first woman to have a Signature Series of world percussion instruments with Remo, Inc., one of the world's largest manufacturers of percussion instruments. She has been a soloist at the Touch Festival in Berlin, Seattle Bumbershoot Festival, the Institute for Contemporary Art in London, Tambores do Mundo in Brazil, the 1995 World Wide Percussion Festival in Brazil, and the Vienna International Percussion Festival in 2001. In Nov. 2004 she'll give a scholarly paper on Ancient Greek Percussion and also a hands on clinic, fusing Middle Eastern and Brazilian rhythms for tambourine, at the Percussive Arts Societies International Conference (PASIC 2004). Another group of people well known for their simplistic feminist fluff leanings. In terms of her spiritual connection to the frame drum she has taught or lectured at Andover Newton Theological School, Hartford Seminary, the Unitarian Conference, St. Catherine's College in St. Paul and the Jewish Renewal center, Elayt Chayyim -- well known for their feminist fluff leanings. I came across Layne Redmond in my research for my doctoral thesis on ancient music back in 1994 and have followed her career with interest ever since, actually writing a number of articles about her work. Her book, When The Drummers Were Women is invaluable, no where else are the images of the ancient Mediterranean women drummers held in a collection. Only a drummer of her depth and skill could have gleamed as much information from the ancient images of drummers as she did. I was fortunate to hear her lecture and perform at PASIC 2000 on Ancient Egyptian Percussion and I was also able to attend one of her rituals with the Mob of Angels in a cave in upstate New York along with 750 other men, women, and children. I don't think anyone there thought they were participating in light feminist fluff. Her new cd, Invoking the Muse, shows how beautifully she has used her ancient research and her writing skills as a source for the creation of nine sophisticated, brilliant compositions, performed by some of the most successful and popular musicians in contemporary classical, jazz and world music. As for her writing as Library Jo

What We Lost When God Killed the Goddess

May I tell you about a wonderful, mind-expanding, and heart-expanding book I have recently read called "When the Drummers Were Women"? With lavish illustrations and photographs, meticulous research, and a cross-cultural perspective, author Layne Redmond (a master drummer/teacher herself) gives us a thorough and thoroughly human look at the Goddess cultures and religions which were destroyed by the violently patriarchal Indo-Europeans roaring out of the steppes of central Asia to found the late-prehistorical and historical cultures and religions of Europe, Asia Minor, the Middle East, Persia, and India. Layne traces the mythology of the Goddess religions as the Goddess is raped and subjugated by the male gods of the Indo-Europeans. The so-called Western Tradition has quite a different look from the perspective of the cultures, religions, and philosophies which it destroyed in its ascendance to world domination. It's also possible to read and absorb it in small pieces, which is a real advantage for sick or busy people. While this book would not appeal to guns-and-football men or religious conservatives, it makes a good and fundamental source of information for readers who wish to consider themselves to be educated. This book lies in the new "Inclusive History" movement, in which events are selected and portrayed to show multiple viewpoints. This approach contrasts quite sharply with the enormous bias shown in the selection and portrayal of events in the "Exclusive History" writings of the victors. Thus, for those who have not been fortunate enough to attend schools where "Inclusive History" textbooks are used, this material helps to correct biased representations and to fill vitally important gaps in a lifetime learner's knowledge of The Human Experience.

The Beat of Different Drummers

This book made a major change in my life as a woman & a drummer. Filled with photos of funereal friezes, statuettes & bas relief of women holding frame drums or tambourines from centuries & centuries ago before written history, this is the telling of one woman's journey along her spiritual path & the discoveries she made. A lovely lyrical effort & one I eagerly recommend. It will change your life!

A book you will want every woman you know to have!

I am not a drummer, but after reading this book, I think that will change. This book has great history about frame drums but it is so much more. After I read this book, I ordered another one for a friend. I only wish I could find the words to show how deeply touched I am by this book. Bring on the drums!

The Great Goddess from a Drummer's Point of View

WHEN THE DRUMMERS WERE WOMEN is a great bargain! In less than 200 pages, charmingly illustrated with black & white photographs and drawings, Layne Redmond accomplishes three tasks. Her original goal was to write a history of women's ritual drumming in selected ancient cultures. In reaching this goal, she has created a wonderfully accessible overview of the role of the Great Goddess in India, Sumeria, Egypt, Greece, and Rome. Redmond also surveys the Paleolithic and Neolithic roots of the Goddess, as well as the transformation of the Goddess into the Virgin Mary. Not least of all, she anchors her story in the contemporary world, weaving together her personal and professional quests, the response of other women to her work, and relevant scientific research. Inevitably, in such an ambitious yet brief work, there are occasional flaws such as overgeneralizations or historical anachronisms; but these do not outweigh the merits of the book. Both her drummer's point of view and the breadth of her research offer new insights to readers familiar with the history of the Great Goddess. At the same time, her brevity and style make her work an excellent introduction for readers new to the subject. The subtitle of the book is "A Spiritual History of Rhythm", and the purpose seems to be both to document the role of sacred drumming by women priestesses in ancient times and to argue the value of drumming in contemporary spiritual practice. In pursuit of these two purposes, Redmond illuminates the role of women in ancient religions, the development of various mythic symbols, the evolution and suppression of the Goddess, and the physiological & psychological bases of spirituality. What may have started as a little book about rhythm became a major quest--as fascinating to the reader as it was meaningful to the author.