The Magic Drum Circles of Sedona
Drum circles in Sedona have been an ongoing tradition for over 20 years. The Full Moon Drum Circle at Cathedral Rock captures the essence of Sedona’s alternative music and dance scene and has been legendary for over 20 years. Few places in America or the world can boast the blessing of continuing night-time, outdoor music jams, especially featuring the creative spirit of inspired residents and visitors coming together and jamming wildly in the dark. In addition to the monthly Cathedral Rock Full Moon circle, regular drum circles take place in Sedona every Wednesday night at the Oak Creek Brewery in West Sedona (www.oakcreekbrew.com - 928.304.1300) and every Saturday night on Schnebly Hill Road (weather permitting - Winter takes its toll: call Chris Wales for info 928.301.0359).
After the Rainbow Tribe’s 1998 gathering in Arizona’s White Mountains near Springerville (www.welcomehome.org/rainbow/index.html), approximately 1,000 of the attendees dropped into Sedona for the Full Moon Circle. It was my first Sedona Full Moon experience and I had been told expect between 20 and 30 participants. That number sounded great for a nice time making music in the moonlight at Cathedral Rock, the traditional gathering place for drumming in the area. My friend Hans from Zurich, Switzerland was visiting and was looking forward to a peaceful nature setting and modest music crowd that would crown his three-month visit to the Verde Valley. He brought along his mini digicam to record the events of the night as well as a drum he borrowed from our friend Chip in Cornville.
When we arrived we made the turn off Hwy 179 into the Back-O-Beyond subdivision and expected to continue down the windy road about a mile to the parking lot. As we made the turn a man was frantically waving at us to stop. We stopped quickly and were told to park here because there were no parking spaces between Hwy 179 and the lower Cathedral parking lot due to the Rainbow Gathering folks showing up and making it the largest drum circle in Arizona’s (and Sedona’s) history outside of the 24 hour-a-day circle that always accompanies a Rainbow Gathering and had well over 2,000 drummers this year in the White Mountains.
We walked over a mile to get to the circle. The sound of power drumming was booming loud even at the highway. As we moved up the trail to the upper red rock sandstone flats at the base of the Rock it was like swimming in a warm flow of human energy - the constant flow of bodies going up and down the trail in the dark radiated the tranceful perfume of sweat and rhythm. Hans and I were overwhelmed to discover a circle with at least 500 drummers beating out African-inspired music that was accompanied by dozens of semi-naked dancers, sitar players, rhythm sticks, tambourines, digeridoos, candlelight, and a sweet-smelling cloud of smoke. It was an all-night affair that went on until the sunrise began its climb just north of Bell Rock. The energy level was unlike anything I had ever witnessed in respect to music and outdoor, non-commercial gatherings. The whole night was brilliant and filled with magic.
It was this circle’s inspiration that created my desire to help drum jams happen more frequently and regularly in the Sedona landscape. Why wait a month to have such fun? Immediately I nailed up posters on all the local bulletin boards announcing the beginning of regular Saturday night drumming in the Red Rocks. I was determined to launch a new tradition so that I could enjoy my favorite new passion. I might have been a novice drummer, however I had the commitment to seeing it through even if others were not ready to support the idea.
It took a few months to gather steam. Some nights brought only 2 drummers, other nights brought in 15. Slowly but surely the word got out that the weekly Sedona drumming scene was an ongoing reality. A phone list was compiled and with a little effort a small, dedicated corps of musicians began the tradition. Big campfires fueled the circle through the cold winter nights and eventually a reliable, permanent location was imprinted on the local drumming network - the hiking trail parking lot on Schnebly Hill Road, the spot where the pavement ends. It was here that locals knew they could count on someone making music on a Saturday night. A steady crowd began to materialize weekly always featuring a small, tightly-knit band of drummers that made up the core. After jamming together for many months our inner circle of regulars could get in sync within minutes and make sounds and rhythms that could truly be called music. Sometimes it fell into “Thunder drumming” though usually it found a groove and propelled us into a trance for hours.
If you want to drum and dance in the dark or merely sit and listen to the groove you can stop by just after sunset on any given Saturday night and join in the fun. When I passed the reigns to Chris Wales he took over the commitment to continue the phone list and contact pipeline. Call Chris at 928.301.0359 for more information concerning Satruday night drumming as well as info on which night the Full Moon circle will take place. It’s an age-old question affecting all full Moon gatherings around the world: should it take place on the night of the day on which the Full Moon falls or on the night of the Full Moon even if that Full Moon falls after midnight, thus being technically on the next day. Sedona has found its own way of handling this challenge and often has two Full Moon circles, especially if those dates fall on weekend nights. The only drawback is that one of the nights has 5 people showing up while the other has 30. If you don’t stay in the contact loop you might show up on the wrong night and miss the jam of the century….
Check out my Phoenix friends’ website for more detailed info on Sedona and Arizona drum circles, drum classes, and drum events (classes with master teachers like Mamadi Keita):
www.azdrumanddance.org/azstuff/classes_events/Sedona_drum_circles.htm
See you at the circle.