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Bruce Stanley

Bruce Stanley grew up in a remote area of the Endless Mountains in Northeastern Pennsylvania. The hypnotic rhythms of the nearby crickets, cicadas, and frogs entranced him and it was then that he knew that making rhythm was his destiny. So he set about gathering
drums and seeking out Rhythm wherever it pulsed. He started studying drum set with Tony Monforte and was soon playing in the drum line of the Montrose Area High School Marching Band and playing in a high school jam band "The Dharma Bums".

Eventually Bruce began exploring hand percussion after being inspired by groups like Santana, Rusted Root, and Dead Can Dance. He developed a knack for middle-eastern hand drumming while living in Turkey for a year. After returning from Turkey he played percussion with a Pittsburgh area Jam band Esquevez while attending the University of Pittsburgh. During a trip to India Bruce studied tabla drumming.

Bruce began an apprenticeship with Robert Wandell of Primal Beat Percussion after returning from India. He learned how to build and
repair drums and spent three years touring fire circle, drumming, and fire dance oriented festivals in the northeast vending drums and giving workshops on drum care and drum circle facilitation. Festivals like Starwood, Drum & Splash, Rites of Spring, and Stones Rising opened up a whole new world of Rhythm and introduced him to the powerful polyrhythmic drumming traditions of West Africa.

Bruce moved to Tucson around 2002 and began focusing his rhythmic studies on the West African drumming traditions from Mali and Guinea, studying for a time under Martin Klabunde, taking classes with Mamady Keita, and private instruction under Bara M'Boup. When he isn't busy teaching his two young children flams and paradiddles, Bruce performs regularly with Planet Djembe for weekly Tucson area West African Dance classes and special Planet Djembe community performances.