Drummer Handel Neptune hopes to leave a legacy of someone who has done all he could to ingrain culture in the people of Buxton, just as it was taught to him many years ago. His expertise on the drums often finds him playing at numerous events all over Guyana.
Forty-seven years ago when he was only nine, the drummer, who is better known as Andy, played the African drums for the first time. Immediately he felt a connection with the musical instrument and he knew it was a feeling he would never want to let go of.
Reminiscing about the event that led to that magical moment, he shared that there was a Queh Queh (or Kwe Kwe) for a relative who was getting married. The Annandale Congo Group was hired to play for the occasion. One of the drummers called Walla caught Andy’s attention and when they were finished playing, Andy went in search of the man. Prior to then, he had never heard drumming like that or knew the band even existed.
“I asked him [to play] and he said, ‘Can you play?’ and I said, ‘No, but I will try,’” Andy recalled. Trying was all it took.
Once he had honed this skill, Andy found himself travelling to Suriname to perform at an African Global Congress there. In 2019, the drummer travelled with a group from the National School of Dance to Trinidad and Tobago where they represented Guyana at Carifesta.
That was not the first time Andy performed at Carifesta. The talented drummer played the drums in 1972 at Victoria, East Coast Demerara when Carifesta was hosted for the first time. He learnt of the importance of the event even at his young age. Andy shared that to this day, it remains his most memorable experience, one that he is privileged to have been part of.
Speaking of memorable experiences, Andy recalled that as a young man, he was selected to go on a tour to Kimbia in the Berbice River. One of the Guyana National Service centres was located there at the time.
With so many years of honing this skill under his belt, Andy can play numerous beats including the Sweet Hand, Congo Hand, Indian Rhythm, Chinese Rhythm, and the Indigenous beats. Andy said the idea of learning the various beats was through inspiration from late president Forbes Burnham, who was always encouraging people to be knowledgeable about their culture and that of others.
The beat he chooses to play at an occasion is not dependent on a person’s culture and sometimes not even the event, but rather on the song or rhythm that is being played at the time. In fact, just on Tuesday last at a funeral, he played both the Indian and Congo beats.
Though his playing of the Africans drums is exceptional, Andy noted that there is always more to learn. “Even though I’m perfect at playing the hands and other rhythms, sometimes whilst practicing there is some other beat that you could add to it. So practicing is always good. Even if you’re the best cricketer, the best runner, you have to practice. If you don’t practice, you could never be perfect in whatever you endeavour to do,” said the drummer.
Playing at various occasions means sometimes beating the drums nonstop. According to the drummer, he would at times play for three hours straight. Andy recalled that the first time he played the drums like that, his hands hurt terribly and then they went numb. But there was nothing he could do but keep playing. Today pain and numbness are no longer issues for the drummer whose hands play the drums like they are nothing. He mused that one would think his palms must feel hard from drumming all the time but instead they are tender.
Being such a seasoned drummer, Andy got the opportunity to teach other youths through the African Cultural and Development Association. He also taught at a school in Sophia. At present he is not teaching but hopes the opportunity presents itself again.
A father to mostly girls, not many of his children were interested in playing the drums. He noted while they learnt to play, they did not like it enough to stick with it. He has now resorted to teaching his grandchildren. However, his daughters are not too happy about this. As part of his legacy he would love for his grandchildren to know how to play the drums.
One of the challenges he faces being a drummer is being stigmatised. “The churches would say it’s a form of obeah. Persons look at drummers differently because of this. I play the drums. I know for myself that’s not what drums are about. Playing the drums is really entertainment. It’s a huge part of my life and I love playing,” said Andy.
However, he was never totally supported by his family and recalled not being able to play the drums at home as a boy growing up and so he would play elsewhere. He chuckled as he shared about “getting lashes” for playing the drums.
In another decade, he hopes to see a place where drummers are not stigmatized. He would also like to see more opportunities for drummers and other people in the entertainment arena. It is important that playing the drums remains part of the Guyanese culture and part of history.
Andy who considers himself a Faithist and is a Sabbath-keeper, worships on Saturdays. At his church, he plays the drums as part of worship. Andy has also played the drums for worshippers of Kali in the Hindu religion.
Apart from playing the drums, Andy is also a carpenter and the proprietor of a beverage shop, all of which provide for his livelihood. As a tradesman, his skills do not stop at building houses, Andy also makes drums. He uses Wallaba along with another kind of wood that is used to make fences. After the wood is cut, shaped and put together, he covers it with goat skin or synthetic skin. However, the making and selling of drums is not as thriving a business as Andy would like; he makes them as the orders come in. Today, Andy plays his African drums all over Guyana, at weddings, funerals, wake houses, national events, other private events and even at Kwe Kwe where he was first captivated by the drums as a boy.
