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Widely respected as the leading proponent of African drumming in Queensland and Northern
NSW, Elliott has been beating skins and encouraging others to do the same since 1991! Having
moved from Adelaide to Brisbane in 1994 for the specific purpose of attaining a Griffith University
Environmental Science degree, Elliott’s focus gradually shifted such that finishing the degree (with
honours) became his part-time occupation while teaching, performing and making African drums
became his all-consuming full-time passion. Now, local to Byron Bay Elliott continues to extend his
network ever wider.
Elliott spent 4 months in 1997 and 2 months in 2019 in West Africa to study under master
drummers of the traditional form. This intense training in Guinea, Ghana and the Ivory Coast of
West Africa instilled in Elliott a deep understanding of the cultural context of African drumming, and
has allowed him to bring the vibrant energy of this culture to the Australian community.
Over the last 25 years Elliott has taught somewhere in the vicinity of 30,000 people how to play
African drums through regular weekly workshops with adults in the community, school groups and
with corporations and numerous organisations. These classes have occurred throughout
Queensland, New South Wales, the Northern Territory, Victoria, Tasmania and New Zealand.