Hasan Bakr was born in 1955 in Savannah, Georgia. He is of Gullah Geechee heritage in a part of the
United States that received the greatest amount of people from Africa during what is know as the slave
trade. Every expression of his people is centered aroung the concept of humility and personal freedom.
"We don't bother anyone and we don't let nobody turn us around,
For one year at age 7, Hasan's focus turned to the piano and at age 15 to the trombone with the
Benedictine Military School Band. After a marching accident, he later switched in 1973 to drums, and
has been on the continual path of music.
About Hasan Bakr
A percussionist, singer and composer who found his first musical expressions in the tonal arts of
thedrum. He has studied masters with discipline for most of his adult life with suchnotables as Chief Bey
(shekere and bell), Babafeami(Conga), Nana Vasconcelos (berimbau and caxixi), Little Ray Romero
(timbales), and Mbemba Bangoura.(Djembe). While actively pursuing a career in drumming, Hasan
molded a unique vocal ability that landed a positionas lead singer in the legendary Spirit Ensemble and
HeritageOP, both New York based percussion ensembles. During his tenure with The Spirit Ensemble,
the study of the playing and building of the Mbira wasundertaken with two North American Mbira
masters KevinNathaniel and the late Zeleka Jenkins. The most important quality and achievement of
both of theseensembles has been their enormous contribution to arts and education in the Greater New
York metropolitan area. Hasan is a natural musician and has an 26-year history in conducting African
musical instrument demos,student assembly programs, in- school artist residencies and youth
empowerment workshops. He is also a 1998 Ethnic Dance Award Recipient.He has performed with a
number of artist includingThe Winard Harper Sextet, Snow, Hassan Hakmoum, Zimbabwean Mbira
Master Ephat Mujuru, Salieu Suso, Abdullah Ibrahim and Ekaya, The Meditations, Veiux Diop and many
more. As a composer, he has penned a collection of works for dance and the media arts, witha co- writer
credit on the film, "Brooklyn Babylon.Composer CreditsLaughter; B Shaker and Freedom; performance
works fromthe "When I Start to Play" HeritageOp CD release2003.One Ascension; a performance work
from 'Universal Healing" HeritageOP for the Alvin Ailey Repertory Co. March 2001.Friendship; work from
"Universal Healing from the film"Brooklyn Babylon" Fall 2000. The Life Forms Suite; a percussion suite to
accompanythe dance works for Reginald Yates Winter 200 atJulliard School of Dance.Zion; a dance work
for Reginald Yates for the AlvinAiley American Dance Theater Spring Gala May 1999 Co–composed with
Victor See Yuen. Community, A Show of Support – Work for Multimedia with Murkofsky-Tsukayama
Dance Theatre HeritageOP 1998.Brass Woman, City, Yafa, Rain. Branches; work for Multimedia with
with Samia Halaby University of Penn, P a Nov 1997. Heritage Percussion for Dance and Aerobics
Cd.Release1997 with Victor See Yuen and Ron McBee. Sojourn; Performance Work Heritage with Alvin
AileyJunior Dance Division June 1997Scenes From A Dream; - Solo Release. Work for Multimedia 1996.
Music for Images: -a live performance for kineticpainting with Samia Halaby – Hear Studios, NYC 1996.
Change: -Performance Work with Spirit Ensemble – CD Release, “Ancestral Callings” 1993. Solace,
Mother’s Love, We Are Real, Father Father:-Performance Works for Duke University Theater Dept.with
Blondell Cummings 1993.I n Love Again, In a Form: - Performance Works withSpirit Ensemble – CD
Release “Ancestral Callings” 1993 Good Weather: - Solo Album Project 1992. Bright Sayings: Collaboration Project With MbiraStylist Kevin Nathaniel 1989. Vision: - Music for Meditation, Solo
Album Project1988Bright Sayings: - Performance Work in “Relationships:Intimate Not So Intimate with
Blondell Cummings: Spoleto Festival, USA 1991.Night Visitant: - Performance Work – Amsterdam
PublicTelevision 1985. That summer: - Performance Work Bullwackie, the reggae documentary 1983.
Published Work:Video Tape: Six Movements with the Kinetic PaintingGroup. CD Releases:HeritageOP.
When I start to play” June 2003 Percussion Music for Dance Exercise andAerobics. 1997Universal
Healing 1999Cassette Releases: Hasan Bakr - Scenes from a Dream, 1996 Hasan Bakr –Vision 1987
Hasan Bakr – Good Weather 1991 Hasan Bakr and Kevin Nathaniel -Bright Sayings As co-producer w/
Spirit EnsembleAncestral Callings 1992 Ancestral Music
1987E ducational Credits:Is currently or has
been on the performance rooster of Lincoln Center PresentsYoung Audiences-NY and NJArts Connection
- NY an NJCaribbean Cultural CenterSymphony Space CAP Brooklyn Academy of Music Cultural Corner
Dancing in the Streets Carnegie Hall Educational Series The Kennedy Center The Met Educational Series
Project Read and Project Arts Midori and Friends And numerous lecture demonstration and instrument
building workshops throughout the United States as a founding member of the Mbira Society Of North
America.Dance Related,Reginald Yates, -Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Festiva l1999 MSOA Residency
West Palm Beach, Fla. Florida Dance Festival June 1999 Perry Mansfield Summer Dance Festival July
1999, Lincoln Center Out of DoorFestival Aug 1999, Jacob’s Pillow Aug 1999 Alvin Ailey Repertory March
2001Marlis Yearby, Moving Spirits – Baca PerformanceTheatreBlondell Cummings Spoleto Festival, Duke
University Sabar Aru Afrik Senegalese dance Murkofsky- Tsukayama Dance TheatreO Brasil , Brazilian
Dance and CapoeiraLoremil Machado Capoeria and Brazilian DanceAtchade Assongba Dance Of
BeninMaya Claire Garrison and Mzawa DanceEarl Mosley‘s Diversity of Dance Genesis Dance Company
Video: MTV Dance Moves MVT 1997Burning Sands: The Order of the Feather 1996 Byron Lars Fashion
Expo Fashion Week- Byron Lars 1995Goree Island Mme Productions 1994Talk Is Cheap Rise Robots Rise
TVT Records 1992 MTV If I Only Knew Rise Robots Rise TVT MTV 1992Film:Brooklyn BabylonTarzan
(Warner Brothers)The HomecomingRecorded or Played withHeritageop, Greg Wall’s Unity Orchestra,
Forest Dance,Winard Harper, Hassan Hakmoun, One Nation,The Meditations, Sugar Minott, Carlton
Livingston, Max Romeo, Salieu Suso Gambian Kora Master, Ephat MujuruMbira Master, Abdullah
Ibrahim and Ekaya, Snow, Ken Boothe Rise Robots Rise Madonna, Atchade Assongba Dance of Benin,
Martik, Miriam Makeba, Gary Toms Empire, Dominic Kanza and the African Rhythm Machine, Thomas
Mapfumo and the Blacks Unlimited, Akin Turkish Rap Star, Letta Mbulu, Last Poets, Malika Lee Whitney
and the Pickney Players, Reggae Artist Pang, Lovejoy's and Robbie Khumalo. Mbira Society Of North
America, Danceoholic Records Missia Saran Dioubate.
A percussionist, singer and composer, who found his first musical expressions in the tonal arts of the
drum and percussion. He has studied masters with discipline for most of his adult life with such
notables as Chief Bey (shekere and bell), Babafeami(Conga), Nana Vasconcelos (berimbau and caxixi),
Little Ray Romero (timbales), and Mbemba Bangoura.(Djembe).
While actively pursuing a career in drumming, Hasan molded a unique vocal ability that landed a
position as lead singer in the legendary Spirit Ensemble and Heritage OP, both New York based
percussion ensembles. During his tenure with The Spirit Ensemble, the study of the playing and building
of the Mbira was undertaken with two North American Mbira masters Kevin Nathaniel and the late
Zeleka Jenkins. The most important quality and achievement of both of these ensembles has been their
enormous contribution to arts and education in the Greater New York metropolitan area.
Hasan is a natural musician and has an 27-year history in conducting African musical instrument demos,
student assembly programs, in- school artist residencies and youth empowerment workshops. He is
also a 1998 Ethnic Dance Award Recipient.
He has performed with a number of artist including The Winard Harper Sextet, Snow, Hassan Hakmoum,
Zimbabwean Mbira Master Ephat Mujuru, Salieu Suso, Abdullah Ibrahim and Ekaya, The Meditations,
Veiux Diop and many more.
As a composer, he has penned a collection of works for dance and the media arts, with a co- writer
credit for a composition in the film, "Brooklyn Babylon.
Composer Credits
Laughter; B Shaker and Freedom; performance works from the "When I Start to Play" Heritage OP CD
release 2003.
One Ascension; a performance work from 'Universa lHealing" HeritageOP for the Alvin Ailey Repertory
Co. March 2001.
Friendship; work from "Universal Healing from the film" Brooklyn Babylon" Fall 2000.
The Life Forms Suite; a percussion suite to accompany the dance works for Reginald Yates Winter 200 at
Julliard School of Dance.
Zion; a dance work for Reginald Yates for the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Spring Gala May 1999
Co–composed with Victor See Yuen.
Community, A Show of Support – Work for Multimedia with Murkofsky-Tsukayama Dance Theatre
Heritage OP 1998.
Brass Woman, City, Yafa, Rain. Branches; work for Multimedia with with Samia Halaby University of
Penn,Pa Nov 1997.
Heritage Percussion for Dance and Aerobics Cd. Release1997 with Victor See Yuen and Ron McBee.
Sojourn; Performance Work Heritage with Alvin Ailey Junior Dance Division June 1997
Scenes From A Dream; - Solo Release. Work for Multimedia 1996.
Music for Images: -a live performance for kinetic painting with Samia Halaby – Hear Studios, NYC 1996.
Change: -Performance Work with Spirit Ensemble – CDRelease, “Ancestral Callings” 1993.
Solace, Mother’s Love, We Are Real, Father Father:-Performance Works for Duke University Theater
Dept.with Blondell Cummings 1993.
In Love Again, In a Form: - Performance Works with Spirit Ensemble – CD Release “Ancestral
Callings”1993
Good Weather: - Solo Album Project 1992.
Bright Sayings: - Collaboration Project With Mbira Stylist Kevin Nathaniel 1989.
Vision: - Music for Meditation, Solo Album Project1988
Bright Sayings: - Performance Work in “Relationships:Intimate Not So Intimate with Blondell
Cummings:Spoleto Festival, USA 1991.
Night Visitant: - Performance Work – Amsterdam PublicTelevision 1985.
That summer: - Performance Work Bullwackie, the reggae documentary 1983.
Published Work:
Video Tape: Six Movements with the Kinetic Painting Group.
CD Releases:
HeritageOP.
When I start to play” June 2003
Percussion Music for Dance Exercise and Aerobics. 1997
Universal Healing 1999
Cassette Releases: Hasan Bakr - Scenes from a Dream,1996
Hasan Bakr –Vision 1987Hasan Bakr – Good Weather 1991
Hasan Bakr and Kevin Nathaniel -Bright Sayings
As co-producer w/ Spirit Ensemble
Ancestral Callings 1992
Ancestral Music
1987
Educational Credits:
Is currently or has been on the performance rooster of
Lincoln Center Presents, Young Audiences-NY and NJ Arts Connection - NY an NJ Caribbean Cultural
Center, Symphony Space CAP Brooklyn, Academy of Music, Cultural Corner, Dancing in the Streets,
Carnegie Hall Educational Series, The Kennedy Center, The Met Educational Series, Project Read and
Project Arts, Midori and Friends
And numerous lecture demonstration and instrument building workshops throughout the United States
as a founding member of the Mbira Society Of North America.
Dance Related,
Reginald Yates, -Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Festival 1999, MSOA Residency West Palm Beach, Fla.
FloridaDance Festival June 1999, Perry Mansfield Summer Dance Festival July 1999, Lincoln Center Out
of DoorFestival Aug 1999, Jacob’s Pillow Aug 1999
Alvin Ailey Repertory March 2001
Marlis Yearby, Moving Spirits – Baca Performance, Theatre Blondell Cummings Spoleto Festival, Duke
University, Sabar Aru Afrik Senegalese dance, Murkofsky- Tsukayama Dance TheatreO Brasil, Brazilian
Dance and Capoeira Loremil Machado Capoeria and Brazilian Dance, Atchade Assongba Dance Of Benin,
Maya Claire Garrison and Mzawa Dance, Earl Mosley‘s Diversity of Dance Genesis Dance Company
Video:
MTV Dance Moves MVT 1997, Burning Sands: The Order of the Feather 1996, Byron Lars Fashion Expo
Fashion Week- Byron Lars 1995, Goree Island Mme Productions 1994, Talk Is Cheap Rise Robots Rise
TVT Records 1992, MTV If I Only Knew Rise Robots Rise TVT MTV 1992
Film:
Brooklyn Babylon, Tarzan (Warner Brothers), The Homecoming (India Indie Film).
Recorded or Played with
Heritageop, Greg Wall’s Unity Orchestra, Forest Dance, Winard Harper, Hassan Hakmoun, One Nation,
The Meditations, Sugar Minott, Carlton Livingston, Max Romeo, Salieu Suso Gambian Kora Master,
Ephat Mujuru Mbira Master, Abdullah Ibrahim and Ekaya, Snow, Ken Boothe, Rise Robots Rise,
Madonna, Atchade Assongba Dance of Benin, Martik, Miriam Makeba, Gary Toms Empire, Dominic
Kanza and the African Rhythm Machine, Thomas Mapfumo and the Blacks Unlimited, Akin Turkish Rap
Star, Letta Mbulu, Last Poets, Malika Lee Whitney and the Pickney Players, Reggae Artist Pang, Lovejoy's,
Robbi Khumalo, Mbira Society Of North America, Danceoholic Records, Missia Saran Dioubate,
Alessandra Belloni.