TIM KEIPER

Born in Red Bank, NJ, Tim Keiper moved to New York City in 1999 to study music and immerse himself in the Downtown music scene. Each week, he’d sneak into Cyro Baptista’s class at the New School, and eventually, Cyro invited him to play with his band Beat the Donkey. He has been playing with Cyro ever since, including with Banquet of the Spirits and Vira Loucos, so he was thrilled when Cyro invited him to play with his new group, Chama.

In 2008, Keiper traveled to Mali to perform with guitarist Vieux Farka Toure at the Festival in the Desert in Timbuktu. It was there that he first encountered the donso ngoni, the traditional instrument also known as the hunter’s harp. He recognized the sound immediately from Don Cherry’s playing on the legendary Codona records. Mesmerized by the sound, he knew he would have to make this instrument part of his music. 

In 2018, he joined David Byrne's American Utopia. This project included six drummers, all mobile, carrying their instruments like a drumline meets samba band. The show toured before moving to Broadway and was made into a film directed by Spike Lee. 

Keiper has also worked with MGMT, Salif Keita, Imogen Heap, Matisyahu and Skeleton Key. He leads his own project called Eclipticalia which released a video this year called Morning Time.