First up this week, meet Louisville native and percussionist Donald Knaack, who is known as “The Junkman” because he composes for, and performs on, junk—found objects and materials that others have discarded. His 1998 CD, Junk Music, was a finalist for a Grammy nomination in the best classical composition category, and his unique brand of music has led to appearances on Late Night with Conan O’Brien, CBS Sunday Morning, and the cover of Billboard magazine. The Junkman returned to his hometown as artist-in-residence at Blue Lick Elementary School, where he conducts a program on the basics of percussion, recycling, and music.

Next, Mel introduces Louisville writer Wanda Johnson-Hall, author of two volumes of poetry, You Can Be and I Am Not a Poet. Wanda, who is at work on a novel, also is an actress; serves on the board of directors of the Louisville Arts Council; and oversees operations at Evanston Publishing Inc., a small press in Louisville.

Our second percussionist for this edition is master drummer Yaya Diallo, a native of Mali, West Africa who now teaches at Bellarmine University. Yaya is known internationally as a custodian of West African music and culture. In addition to performing, composing, teaching, and lecturing, he writes on African culture in books like The Healing Drum: African Wisdom Teachings and At the Threshold of the African Soul. For his Mixed Media performance, he spotlights tunes from his CD Live at Club Soda, recorded with his band, Kanza.