VALERIE DEE NARANJO

Percussionist, vocalist, composer Valerie Dee Naranjo, known for her pioneering efforts on West African keyboard percussion is a Coloradoan of Ute (Native American) descent. In 1988 her playing of the gyil's traditional repertoire led to the declaration of a chiefly decree in the Dagara nation that women be allowed to play the instrument for the first time.

She plays percussion and arranges for the Saturday Night Live Band and has recorded and performed with Broadway's The Lion King, The Philip Glass Ensemble, David Byrne, The Paul Winter Consort, Tori Amos, Airto Moreira, and the international percussion ensemble, MEGADRUMS, which includes Milton Cardona, Zakir Hussein, and Glen Velez. On six continents she endorses Avedis Zildjian (Cymbals) Pearl/Adams (Latin and Concert Percussion) and Vic Firth products.

Recent film score recordings include Final Fantasy - The Dream Within and Frida. Her work and music have been written about in Modern Drummer, Drum!, Rhythm, Percussive Notes, and World Percussion Rhythm. She has recorded several CDs of traditional gyil music with Kakraba Lobi and Barry Olsen, and the CD Zie Mwea with Bernard Woma. Her solo Native American CD Orenda (Music to Heal the Spirit) is on the Ellipsis Arts Label, and her series of nine written transcriptions and CD, West African Music for the Marimba Soloist, is published by Mandara Music.

Ms. Naranjo holds a Bachelor's and Master's degree in music education performance and ethnomusicology, and has apprenticed with some of America's and West Africa's strictest master percussionists, including Leigh Howard Stevens, Gordon Stout, Dave Samuels, Ladji Kamara, Godwin Agbeli, and Adama Drame. She continues to spend summers in Ghana to further her gyil study with Maestro Kakraba Lobi.