Paint and Drum Battle with artist Norton Wisdom and percussionist Stephen Perkins  At the Roots of Music Stage, former Jane's Addiction's drummer and current Banyan leader Stephen Perkins, along with painter Norton Wisdom, conducted a workshop entitled "Drum and Paint Battle." It was more of a multi-media exhibit since there was more of a sit-in-awe-and-watch activity than an interactive workshop. The group participation came later in a KEXP egg shaker drum circle and a question-and-answer session with Perkins.

The turnout was good. Again, there was a mix in ages and it was interesting to see aging Jane's Addiction fans checking this out with their young children. Behind the stage the gangly and brightly clad Perry Farrell (also known as DJ Peretz these days) was seen checking out his fellow Jane's Addiction bandmate. It's funny to think that Perkins was just in his late teens when Jane's Addiction formed. Watching him now isn't much different. Donning a mohawk, he still had the youthful, openness of a California beach kid, and the anxious energy of the drummer was omnipresent.

In a hooded garb and looking like a quasi-medieval bohemian, Norton Wisdom didn't say much. Having started at punk rock shows when he was younger, for 25 years Norton has been painting, and now he is the resident painter for Perkin's band Banyan.

There was a brief moment of silence before the first half began. Wisdom used a white board covered tightly with clear plastic. With Perkins' first pound on his kit, Wisdom used his hands and smeared paint on the cellophane canvas. With each boom and thwack, the strokes got broader, developing into liminal images. Most of the images were dark and expressionistic. Some developed into angelic impressions, which later became more and more diabolic.

"It's really nice to see so many people come out, and to play in front of you all," said Perkins. "Me and Norton don't actually talk much." [Laughter from the audience] "It's kind of the same relationship that I have with a lot of musicians. We get to be friendly on stage. But it's been a lot of fun playing with Norton."

"I'm sure music for everybody is very visual, but when you have someone guiding the way it really awakens a lot of thoughts in my head on where I can take it, and what kind of themes that I can apply and come back to. Playing with Norton has brought up creative juice in my own playing, so I want to thank you, Norton."  -Hope Lopez

Lo'Jo  Lo'Jo was one act I'd been looking forward to, having missed them when they graced the WOMAD stages two years before. Based out of France, Lo'Jo is lead by vocalist/keyboardist Denis Péan, who sounds similar to Benjamin Escoriza from Radio Tarifa (a band from Spain that has mysteriously remained absent from the American stages of WOMAD) and has been compared to Tom Waits and Serge Gainsborg.

For this performance, Péan was willingly upstaged by the Franco-Algerian sisters Nadia and Yamina Nid El Mourid, who commanded the stage with their Zen-like presence as they gracefully moved between various musical elements, including percussion and sax, while delivering intensely present and beautiful vocal harmonies. To their right stood Richard Bourreau on violin and kora, who frequently added textural melodic elements to the already exotic blend of the band. Drummer Nico Gallard and bassist Nico Meslien locked together frequently, creating grooves reminiscent of early Talking Heads, forming the foundation for the Arabic/African/French musical structures of their music to fall into place.

But it isn't all structure, the band has been together long enough to be able to improvise seamlessly throughout giving a spontaneous quality that makes the energy come alive. More than just entertaining, Lo'Jo transcend stereotypical group performances not only through their sheer commitment to the music as individuals but as a whole experience.  -Bill Wolford

Simon Shaheen & Qantara  Arabic musician Simon Shaheen backed by small orchestra of musicians (Quantra) lent his fire and grace to WOMAD's stages on Saturday and Sunday. Shaheen, well known internationally as a virtuoso on oud and violin, has been influenced not only by generations of traditional Arabic music, but also by modern contemporary music, collaborating with people such as Steve Stevens (Billy Idol's guitarist), producer Bill Laswell, and even doing a rendition of The Police tune "Tea in the Sahara."

The performance was very orchestrated and tightly rehearsed, letting Shaheen show off his abilities. However, I felt that there was too tight a grip on the band as a whole, which almost squeezed the life out of the music. This was seemingly not a collaborative effort and almost every note having been composed and any improvisation strictly directed. My instincts were proven to be correct by Shaheen's noticeable reprimanding of one of the musicians during the applause after the third number. I couldn't tell what he was angry about but it drew uncomfortably embarrassed smiles from a few musicians near the target.

For myself, this lent a feeling of unease for the rest of the performance, although there was notably one beautiful composition featuring his nay (Arabic flute) player in a very meditative piece. Simon Shaheen's improvisations on both flute and oud were definitely the highlights, especially when he would allow himself to get lost in the moment, because most of the audience was right there getting lost with him and it created the kind of magic that is rare in live performances.  -Bill Wolford

Chemirani Zarb Trio  Lo'Jo's performance alone was worth the full days' price of admission, but I was happy to make my way towards the Meadow Stage to witness the Chemirani Zarb Trio's first U.S. performance. The zarb is the oldest-known Middle Eastern percussion. Originating in Iran, it is played using the fingers rather than the palms of the hands. Master of the instrument, Djamchid Chemirani taught his sons, Keyvan and Bijan (ages 20 and 30), how to play since birth, and in 1999 he decided to form the Chemirani Zarb Trio. (Now that's the way to form a band!)

The trio was quite simply amazing in their ability to lock together during intricate compositions, allowing space for each to show off his own talents with technically precise improvisations. These guys alone put the entire genre of drum 'n' bass to shame. The sounds they could hammer out of the drums (not only the zarb, but also the frame, daf, bandir, and udu drums) were deep and otherworldly at times, and they would emphasize distinct melodies weaving through a syncopated staccato landscape they had formed.

The standing room only crowd was amazed at what they were hearing, and at the end many made their way to the CD tent where all 35 of the Trio's CDs sold out immediately, leaving another 75 to 100 people turned away empty handed. Thankfully, Chemiriani Zarb Trio's music is available online.  -Bill Wolford