percussion
I love my job as a percussionist. Like any job, it hosts challenges as well as periods of boredom, but it's something that I'm very passionate about nonetheless. Freelance work is steady, and I perform and record regularly with a couple of music groups.
Although my main instrument is the drum kit, I also have experience in concert percussion and hand percussion (particularly frame drums and tabla). One of my favorite challenges in performance is to incorporate styles and techniques learned from varying percussion instruments into one another without compromising a song's musical integrity. Tone color is very important to my ears!
setup[s]
I'm afraid I get a little stir-crazy if I'm stuck doing the same thing all the time, so I'll change my setup depending on the project. Most of the time I'm on a fairly standard four-piece kit with various dark, dry cymbals. Other setups include a wide array of instruments set up in a circle around me on the floor (a condensed, interactive example appears below); a combination of traps, auxiliary, orchestral, and handdrums for musical theater gigs; sometimes just various handdrums. Some examples are below.
AN INTERACTIVE SAMPLE SETUP
This is an abbreviated version of the setup used with Zatsu Trio.
Mouse over an instrument to hear it. Adobe's free Flash Player is necessary and available here if you don't have it.
PERFORMING AT BIN 479 (2006)
SETUP AT THE SPIRIT OF BROADWAY THEATER (2006)
homage
I've had the good fortune of some wonderful music teachers and percussion instructors. Some offered new concepts, some technical advisoryr; all offered inspiration and patience. If it wasn't for these guys, I'd probably still be banging on my student-model snare drum from elementary school.
mentors and guides
Dr. Jeffrey Renshaw, Univ. of Connecticut; Wind Ensembles
Peter Coutsouridis, PhD, Univ. of Conn.; Orchestral Percussion
Ray DiCapua, Univ. of Conn.; Hand Drumming
Pandit Anindo Chatterjee, Kolkata, India; Tabla
Cliff Madru, Brimfield, MA; Jazz Drumming
Jim Hoover, Chicopee, MA; Drum Corps Drumming/Arranging
William DeSanty, Holyoke Comm. College; Orchestral Percussion
And if you care, below are some of the players who have had the biggest stylistic influence on me, as well as some favorites who may or may not have influenced my style whatsoever. This is hardly a complete index...
stylistic influences
· Joey Baron |
additional favorites
· Art Blakey |
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