Sign-In
Cart
The Tree of Devotion: Notes on Living as an Artist
Paperback
Publisher: Rhombus Publishing
Published: Oct 4 2025
Pages: 224
Weight: 0.67
Height: 0.51 Width: 6.00 Depth: 9.00
Language: English
I've started reading Jerry's book, and it's all the truth. Very soulfully expressed. I'll be recommending it to my students and may even read passages in class. It's in deep harmony with the spirit of Effortless Mastery.
- Kenny Werner
Grammy-nominated jazz pianist and composer
____
This is not a how-to book. It's a return. Drawn from decades of performing, teaching, and listening across cultures, The Tree of Devotion is a field guide for artists who long for more than technique. Jerry Leake-world percussionist, educator, and seeker-writes to the space behind the note, the breath beneath the phrase, and the stillness that shapes the sound. Structured like a tree-roots, rings, limbs-this is a book to revisit, not finish. Through poetic insight, personal story, and distilled teaching wisdom, each page invites you to listen with your whole being, create with honesty, and live in rhythm with the moment. Whether you're a musician, dancer, writer, teacher, or simply devoted to a creative path, these pages offer reminders you didn't know you'd been carrying. All Ways and Always.
Jerry Leake is a Professor of World Percussion at Berklee College of Music and the New England Conservatory. A performer, composer, and author, he leads the world-fusion group Cubist and co-founded Natraj and Club d'Elf, blending traditions from India, Africa, and the Americas. On tabla, he has performed with Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, Chitravina Ravikiran, and Kadri Gopalnath. A Berklee graduate, he studied with Gary Burton and Pablo Landrum, and later with master drummers in India and Ghana. The author of nine influential books on world percussion and a contributor to Percussive Notes, he also presented a TEDx talk, Harmonic Time, revealing his cross-cultural approach to rhythm and musical connection.
Also in
Humor
I Can't Believe I Did That: The Game That Gives You Points for Sharing Awkward, Awesome, and Unforgettable Memories: Card Games
Katcher, Neil
Nadelberg, David
Other
The Science Magpie: Fascinating Facts, Stories, Poems, Diagrams and Jokes Plucked from Science
Flynn, Simon
Paperback
How to Be a Cat: (Cat Books for Kids, Cat Gifts for Kids, Cat Picture Book)
Swerling, Lisa
Lazar, Ralph
Hardcover
The Chapo Guide to Revolution: A Manifesto Against Logic, Facts, and Reason
Chapo Trap House
Hardcover
Peculiar Questions and Practical Answers: A Little Book of Whimsy and Wisdom from the Files of the New York Public Library
New York Public Library
Hardcover
Wtf America?!: The Way Out of This Hell and Back to Democracy
Meiselas, Ben
Meiselas, Brett
Meiselas, Jordy
Hardcover
How to Be Okay When Nothing Is Okay: Tips and Tricks That Kept Me Alive, Happy, and Creative in Spite of Myself
Lawson, Jenny
Hardcover
Not Today, Fascists: The Lies That Got Us Here, and the Truths That Will Reunite Us
Welch, Jennifer
Hardcover
Pardon My Book: Ten Years of the Best (and Worst) in Sports from Pardon My Take
Commenter, Pft
Big Cat
Hardcover
Big Fan: Two Friends, 82,490 Miles, and the Wild, Wonderful Sports We Love
Schur, Michael
Posnanski, Joe
Hardcover
How to Grow Up Without Becoming a Grown-Up: Big Lessons from Little Kids
Shapiro-Barnum, Julian
Hardcover
We've Been Here the Whole Time!: A Not So Sacred Guide to All Things Native America
Clift, Joey
Paperback
The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Five Novels in One Outrageous Volume
Adams, Douglas
Paperback
Black Out Loud: The Revolutionary History of Black Comedy from Vaudeville to '90s Sitcoms
Bennett, Geoff
Hardcover
The New Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook: Expert Advice for Extreme Situations
Piven, Joshua
Borgenicht, David
Hardcover
We Are the World (Cup): A Personal History of the World's Greatest Sporting Event
Bennett, Roger
Hardcover
There Are Moms Way Worse Than You: Irrefutable Proof That You Are Indeed a Fantastic Parent
Boozan, Glenn
Hardcover
Bake It Off: An Unofficial Taylor Swift-Inspired Cookbook for Every Era, from Breakfast to Midnights
Smith, Lindsey
Hardcover
Nobody Wants Your Sh*t: The Art of Decluttering Before You Die (New York Times Bestseller)
Condo, Messie
Hardcover
How to Talk to Your Cat about Gun Safety: And Abstinence, Drugs, Satanism, and Other Dangers That Threaten Their Nine Lives
Auburn, Zachary
Paperback