CROCODILE RIVER MUSIC

Crocodile River Music co-founders Zach Combs and Issa Coulibaly have a long history together, beginning with Coulibaly’s first day in the United States from his home country of Mali. Combs and Coulibaly were working on a construction job together, “I said to him, ‘Hey, can he drum some or something?’ They're like, yeah, he can do a little kind of joking with me,” Combs laughs, “I didn't know what to expect but he was really a master drummer.” Coulibaly adds, “It was freezing cold that day, we were roofing and I told him I think we should do music for a living. So then that's how the first idea came and that was 12 years ago.”

A Djembe Master Drummer, Coulibaly is the Musical Director and enjoys spending his time sharing his talents in workshops, schools and to people of all ages and skill levels. “My favorite is when I see when I put a smile on the face of a child at school,” Coulibaly smiles, “Everytime the kids run and give me a hug. (When the kids say) ‘that was the best day of the year. That's the best thing I ever did.’ That makes me happy.”

Crocodile River Music, which was awarded nonprofit status in December 2022, now has over ten paid employees who travel throughout Central Massachusetts sharing the gift of African art, music and dance. From senior centers to public schools, the Crocodile River Music team provides hands-on education for everyone. “Those settings benefit from working with people like Issa, Antoinette, Thierno, Yacouba, Abou we have this team that represents I think, six or seven different countries of the continent of Africa plus several people like me who represent sections of the continent of North America,” Combs says.

WICN 90.5FM just launched an African music radio show collaboration with Crocodile River on Saturday nights from 9pm to 11pm called Crocodile River Radio: Heart of Africa. “It's not like playing our songs,” Combs explains, “It's playing African music from all over whether it's from Egypt or South Africa or Morocco or Central African Republic or anything like that.” The show will feature a monthly guest DJ from African Community Education (ACE). “So they will want them to come with 10 of their own recommendations. This is what we like, the young people. But their pre job will be to go to the elders in their community and get recommendations of what did they like when they were young? So that we're promoting intergenerational connections and then we're giving a voice to folks in Worcester, that this radio station WICN is really a home for them too and there's not only room for them, but there's like intentional room for them. We're making space on purpose,” Combs tells me.

Coulibaly and Combs have a calm, cheerful energy as they share stories about the Crocodile River musicians and experiences they’ve had with students throughout the years. Their commitment to supporting African artists and sharing their culture in an accessible way is more than performing for audiences. Combs explains, “We do it all but a big part of our service in our day to day work is working directly hands on in a setting where students can learn directly from Issa and Antoinette and the rest of our team, whether they're learning to drum, they're learning the dance moves, they're doing science projects.”

Learn more and stay connected with Crocodile River Music at www.crocodilerivermusic.com.