Derrik Jordan
As a multi-instrumentalist, composer, bandleader, producer, and teacher, Derrik Jordan (electric violin, guitar) is used to wearing a lot of hats. What ties it together is performing original music for real audiences. “Creating live music is a sacred trust. That moment of ecstatic communion when performer and audience become one is one of life’s greatest experiences.”
Derrik is well known around New England as the leader of the beloved world beat band Simba, but he also thrives as a wide-ranging singer-songwriter. His CD Touch the Earth features songs on environmental themes, while Expecting a Miracle, featuring Ben Wittman and Marc Shulman, includes the song “Speak Through Me,” which placed 1st in the Gospel/Inspirational category and 2nd overall—out of 32,000 entries—in the 2004 USA Songwriting Competition. Derrik’s love of Brazilian music shines out on the double-CD Brazilliance, which includes his “Share Your Love,” first recorded by Angela Bofill. Derrik has also released two CDs under the name SuperString Theory, showcasing his 5-string electric violin in a variety of world fusion settings, and featuring free jazz singer Lisa Sokolov and Ethiopian vocalist Helen Kerlin-Smith. Other regular gigs include the collaborative improvisational trios Natural History and Starfish. Derrik’s commissioned work for string orchestra and percussion was premiered by the Sage City Symphony in early 2008.
Derrik has studied percussion with Milford Graves and composition with Henry Brant, among others. In his journey to further develop his craft he has traveled to Brazil, Trinidad, Ghana, and Senegal, studying and recording with numerous local musicians (including 2007’s Superstring Theory Goes to Senegal). Back in Vermont, Derrik teaches music at The Greenwood School, a highly regarded school for children with learning disabilities. This experience, Derrik feels, has deepened his understanding of human creativity and spirit, influencing all his other work.
Derrik is well known around New England as the leader of the beloved world beat band Simba, but he also thrives as a wide-ranging singer-songwriter. His CD Touch the Earth features songs on environmental themes, while Expecting a Miracle, featuring Ben Wittman and Marc Shulman, includes the song “Speak Through Me,” which placed 1st in the Gospel/Inspirational category and 2nd overall—out of 32,000 entries—in the 2004 USA Songwriting Competition. Derrik’s love of Brazilian music shines out on the double-CD Brazilliance, which includes his “Share Your Love,” first recorded by Angela Bofill. Derrik has also released two CDs under the name SuperString Theory, showcasing his 5-string electric violin in a variety of world fusion settings, and featuring free jazz singer Lisa Sokolov and Ethiopian vocalist Helen Kerlin-Smith. Other regular gigs include the collaborative improvisational trios Natural History and Starfish. Derrik’s commissioned work for string orchestra and percussion was premiered by the Sage City Symphony in early 2008.
Derrik has studied percussion with Milford Graves and composition with Henry Brant, among others. In his journey to further develop his craft he has traveled to Brazil, Trinidad, Ghana, and Senegal, studying and recording with numerous local musicians (including 2007’s Superstring Theory Goes to Senegal). Back in Vermont, Derrik teaches music at The Greenwood School, a highly regarded school for children with learning disabilities. This experience, Derrik feels, has deepened his understanding of human creativity and spirit, influencing all his other work.