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Tiacoh Sadia was born in Ivory Coast, West
Africa, where music was a part of his life from birth.
Tiacoh's Uncle Woyi Cota, a well-known drummer
who lived in Man (the western region of Ivory Coast), and his father, who loved
to sing and dance the rhythms of his native tribe, “Yacouba,” influenced Tiacoh
at an early age. His family was one of few in the area during the '60s that
owned a Vitriola and a collection of more than 150 albums - made up of various
African music groups from Kenya, Ghana, Nigeria, Mali, Guinea, and the Ivory
Coast.
Every weekend, Tiacoh's house was filled with
people from miles around to listen to music and dance! Tiacoh’s father inspired
and encouraged his musical talents. By listening to music every day, Tiacoh
developed an ear for different types of music and began to sing and play
rhythms. At the age of 8, he made his first drums out of cardboard boxes that
had contained Nestlé and Bonnet Rouge concentrated milk.
Throughout the '60s and '70s, the Ivory Coast was
a country filled with culture from around the world. The radio station played
every genre of music, and Tiacoh was exposed to the music of Chick Corea, James
Brown, Otis Redding, Aretha Franklin, Ella Fitzgerald and other great musicians.
Tiacoh's soul was changed after hearing the music
of Duke Ellington and Art Blakey. He was fascinated by the composition and
drumming, and wanted to play and compose like that one day.
Believing that his passion for music had placed
him in the right place at the right time, Tiacoh and members of his area band
would walk for miles to get the chance to play in a popular club where bands
played every Saturday. But sometimes, they didn't even get in to play.
After a long wait one night Tiacoh got his
opportunity. The house band bandleader had seen him play before and asked that
he fill in for the drummer. At the early age of 12, Tiacoh was playing regular
gigs with most of the country’s local and traditional bands and helping to
provide for his family.
His first jazz performance was at the age of 16.
He became one of the youngest members of the country’s military band, which
played for the President and other official ceremonies, traveling throughout
Ivory Coast and other African countries. The military band is where Tiacoh
studied drums and received his rudiment training.
During this same period, Tiacoh played with
Roberto Torres, considered a prominent authority in the history of Cuban music,
and Alfredo Rodriguez, of Cubianismo, one the finest Cuban bands. Both musicians
were relatively early members of a movement of Cuban jazz. Tiacoh performed with
the band until 1982.
In 1983, Tiacoh Sadia arrived in France, where he
settled to broaden his musical horizons and fulfill his passion for jazz. His
excellent knowledge of both traditional African music and binary rhythms allowed
him to exercise his talents with stars such as Salif Keita, Myriam Makeba, Mory
Kante, Sekou Bambino, Princess Erika, Idrissa Diop, Kassiry, Tabala, and Rido
Bayonne’s Orchestra.
Throughout the 80’s, Tiacoh accompanied
internationally acclaimed artists such as Jacques Higelin with Youssouh N’Dour
in Bercy, France. He accompanied the late great Nina Simone and toured with
Myriam Makeba for a period of five years.
Tiacoh was a featured drummer on the albums of
Pino Daniels with musicians James Senese and Nino Buocore in Naples, Italy. He
also played and recorded with Jeff Sycar and Herve Cavalier. While playing in
the band of Herve Cavalier at a Jazz festival in France, Tiacoh enjoyed meeting
drummer Dave Weckl (of Chick Corea's Elektric and Akoustic bands).
Faithful to his passion for jazz, Tiacoh and
Richard Raux created a quartet of prestigious jazz musicians, including: Steve
Pots (saxophone player with Steve Lacy), Alain Lecointe (bassist of Zaka
Percussions and Lavelle), Oliver Hubman, Eric Barret (French National
Orchestra), Didier Levellet (director of the French National Orchestra) and J.F.
Genny-Clark (opera bass player of Michel Portal).
Tiacoh performed in the Alliance Française World
Tour traveling throughout Europe, Asia, and Africa. This tour included jazz
trumpet player Eric LeLan and bassist Richard Bona. During the spring of 1989,
he was noticed by his famous French predecessor, Bernard Lubat, and toured with
his company for two years.
Tiacoh created a band called Jazz-Rock D3 and a
jazz trio with Alain Debiossa (Sixun) and Oliver Chabasse (Opera Bass). During
this same period, he recorded with Francis Lockwood (Amazonie), and recorded
seven albums with Herve Krief of B.S.M. Productions. He also toured with the
Herve Krief’s Big Band.
After playing gigs and touring for more than 18
years with many artists - plus being a featured drummer on many artists CDs,
Tiacoh decided it was time to unleash his talent as a composer and producer. He
released his first live album in 1996. The CD, titled “Zougnon Wa,” featured all
original music composed and arranged by Tiacoh.
Two years later, during a tour in the United
States, Tiacoh was asked to play at Disney World, where he stayed for seven
months before relocating to Washington, D.C. Soon after, he created a Jazz trio
that performed at Café Nema, Alliance Française, The Beacon Hotel, and Mayorga
Coffee Factory.
The Tiacoh Sadia Band has played for various
organizations, associations, universities, and private schools. “The Awakening,”
a story of drums, dance and music, was Tiacoh’s first production for the George
Washington University International Student Night. He continues to be a part of
the arts community in Washington, D.C. and is currently working a new CD and
instructional program titled “Tiacoh Sadia African Rhythm On Drum set."
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