Mallets

Pro-Mark has an ad for the new Autograph Series mallets (including mine) in the latest Percussive Notes.

5 Days...5 Concerts

The past week has been incredibly busy. Three orchestras and five concerts in five days (with all the rehearsals that go with them...plus my job, of course).

The first was the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra Broadway Pops concert on Friday and Saturday nights. It was the usual mix of Lloyd Weber, Sondheim, Les Mis, Wicked, Mama Mia, etc. The singers from Broadway that came in were really excellent. If you want to look them up, search for Teri Hansen, Leah Hocking and Aaron Lazar. Teri and Leah did a spectacular job on the Wicked medley and Aaron does a pretty mean Jean Valjean and Phantom.

Then off to Pine Bluff to play Harlem by Duke Ellington for jazz band and orchestra (which I really enjoyed) plus Three Dance Episodes from On the Town and Gershwin's Cuban Overture.

Then on the children's concert the following day, we did some Smetana, some Handel, some Stravinsky, some Debussy, and many other things that are just a blur in my memory.

Finally, last night with Conway Symphony we did Overture to Candide and Shostakovich's 9th Symphony.

A lot off driving, and a lot of rehearsing, but somehow none of the rehearsals conflicted (although I only made in back for the CSO rehearsal Sunday night with five minutes to spare).

Now, it's time to get back to practicing the Ewazen marimba concerto. I'll be doing that at the Montana Day of Percussion in about a month along with a clinic and a performance with their percussion ensemble. If you're in Bozeman, be sure to stop by.

Storms

There were some pretty rough storms in Arkansas last night. Everything is ok here in Conway and in Little Rock, but about an hour up the road, it's a different story. Incredibly powerful tornadoes destroyed a lot of property and caused many fatalities. An aunt of one of my students was injured (concussion, broken bones) in a building collapse in Clinton. We were on alert here for hours, but by the time the storm got here it was just high winds and small hail. So, we're fine here, but the destruction just up the road is unbelievable.

Just a week ago, what the weather people call a "wind event" took down 120 feet of the privacy fence in our back yard. When I say "took down" I really mean destroyed, as in "Cloverfield" destroyed. Our neighbors lost part of their roof in that "event" and there was damage to fences, roofs, trees, etc., all over town.

It's winter, right? I'm ready for a nice, quiet snow flurry.

GONGGONGGONGGONGGGGGGGGGG

I recently visited Immaculate Conception School in North Little Rock where Liana teaches music to the K-5 classes. I spent all day playing some marimba, derabucca, riq, talking drum, and, most importantly, THE GONG. These kids love a gong more than I can tell you. I don't have any photos of the day, but a lot of the students drew some pictures and wrote thank you letters. Thanks to them, you can get some idea of what the day was like

Here's a drawing of me and my marimba by Meredith R.

























They have a large collection of Orff instruments at ICS, so the marimba wasn't completely unfamiliar to them.

The most popular instrument of the day was probably the derabucca...oh, except for the GONG, of course. I'm pretty sure that I could have done a thirty minute gong solo for each class and it would have been the greatest day of their lives. They REALLY love the gong!!

Here's a picture of me and the gong by Kaitlyn R.
Just to give you an idea of the scale, the gong I took that day was 28 inches in diameter. I'm taller than I look. Oh, and that's Kaitlyn herself standing beside me.

100 people banging a drum

This film is beautiful, and funny, and inspiring, and heartwarming. It will make you feel old.....and young. I find myself wanting to watch it over and over. Check it out!

PASIC 2007

I've got a little catching up to do on the blog. Let's start with PASIC.



















I had a great time at PASIC this year. I premiered a new work for solo timpani by Halim El-Dabh, my new marimba mallets launched with Pro-Mark, I met a lot of people who are playing the pieces that I've written, and I got to see a lot of my classmates at the reception in honor of John Beck and his 49 years at Eastman.

Halim's new piece, In search of Three Goddesses, is a great new work for timpani. I premiered it on October 31st at the end of a VERY long session. Moving all those timpani around after each piece makes for a lengthy concert. I still had a good crowd and the piece seemed to go over very well. I was very excited that Halim was able to be at the performance. Here's a pic of me with Halim after the final concert of the day.
















The reception for John Beck was an amazing experience. The room was packed with people who have been part of percussion history over the past half decade (or longer). Even Louie Bellson stopped by to congratulate JB.

















My former classmates Rob Bridge, Brian Bennett and Conrad Alexander listen in amazement and disbelief at the fantastical tales of Dr. John W. Parks, IV and his magical tambourine.


















Speaking of which, another big event at PASIC was something I like to call "The Attack of the 50 Foot Parksie". There's a picture out there of me with it (them), but until said attacker forwards it to me, I cannot share it with you.

UPDATE!!! The picture has arrived. For those of you that weren't there, let me assure you that this involved no trick photography. It is indeed a giant picture of John at the Pearl booth.

Do I sound like a musical robot?

This is pretty cool....and fairly creepy.
Watch the videos and be amazed. And, afraid. Not perfect yet, but it will only get better.

Robots will soon have the ability to take our orchestral jobs AND sign the paychecks.

Toyota shows violin-playing robot - Yahoo! News

PASIC

PASIC starts Wednesday!

I'll be performing Wednesday around noon. I'm very excited about premiering In Search of Three Goddesses by Halim El-Dabh. The piece is fantastic and I think that it's a great addition to the timpani repertoire. It requires the performer to create number of interesting sound effects and also has some fast tuning changes. It's not easy, but it is beautifully written and very playable. I'm happy to report that Halim will be at the performance and will say a few words about the piece before I play.

It's been busy here because, in addition to learning the piece, I somehow managed to book myself with three orchestras this past week. I've done Firebird, Night on Bald Mountain, Egmont Overture, Symphonie Fantastique, Peer Gynt, Stokowski's arrangement of Tocatta and Fugue in D minor, etc, etc, etc.... Still, I've been able to put in a lot of time on the piece and the next few days will be full of timpani practice for me.

I'll post more details about the new work after PASIC, but for now, I've got to go practice. I hope to see you on Wednesday.

....OH, I got the Mozart book in (from the previous post). It is SPECTACULAR! More on that later.

The Best Book on Mozart - The New York Review of Books

The New York Review of Books has an excellent review of the new translation of Abert's W.A. Mozart. The review is a lengthy one, but since the book comes in at 1600 pages, not as long as it could have been.

I think I am going to have to order it right away. Despite all the great music out there, if I had to pick a favorite composer I would go with Mozart. He and I go way back. By the time I was in 10th grade I had two complete editions of his piano sonatas, a few piano concertos, a complete score to Don Giovanni, and all of his string quartets.

Those were just the scores of course. I had many more recordings. In fact, I spent a lot of afternoons playing viola along with my records of the Guarneri Quartet (yes, I did indeed play viola, but am now retired).

So, as you can imagine, I was pretty much the coolest guy in school....carrying around my viola case, my Vic Firth percussion case, and a complete score to Don Giovanni. Then, rushing home to work on the Piano Sonata in B-flat Major after telling everyone how excited I was about having tickets for the Atlanta Opera's production of Abduction from the Seraglio.

Yes sir, the coolest!!

Anyway, check out the link for the review.

The Best Book on Mozart - The New York Review of Books

MACKEY!!!

I am proud to announce the arrival of Mackey!


















She's 7 or 8 months old (that's the vet's best guess). She was abandoned and living on the streets until a rescue shelter in Little Rock took her in.

Mackey is super-fantastic and, luckily, gets along very well with the three cats already in residence at the Tyson Estate.

WNYC - Radio Lab

There is a show on the radio that I never miss. Of course, saying "on the radio" doesn't mean what it used to. In fact, I guess I should say I almost always miss this show on the radio, but thanks to the magic of the podcast I can always hear it (and listen to it again...and again).

One of my new favorite shows is called
Radio Lab. It's from WNYC in New York. It is kind of difficult to describe the show, so I'll just use the summary from prx.org.

"Radio Lab is an investigation. Each episode is a patchwork of people, sounds, stories and experiences centered around One Big Idea. On Radio Lab, science bumps into culture...information sounds like music."

or, from their website

"Radio Lab is designed for listeners who demand skepticism but appreciate wonder, who are curious about the world but who also want to be moved and surprised."

Check it out. The way the show is edited together can be sonically overwhelming or off-putting to some at first. Give it a chance. I think that it's (usually) quite brilliant.

Subscribe to the podcast over at itunes. It's free! The latest episode is about music. It is fascinating stuff.

Note: If you have a music degree or two, you may a few small quibbles with terminology and historical facts in the music episode. Don't let it bother you. The information about perfect pitch is really interesting and there's a computer that writes some pretty good Bach (although I'm less convinced by it's Chopin).


Radio Lab

King of Kong

I have not seen this movie. I will see this movie. I must see this movie!

King of Kong was recommended to me by my most trusted source. It is an independent film, so it may come and go from town to town rather quickly. If this movie is playing in your town, you should probably go see it tomorrow. If not, search for King of Kong on YouTube and watch a few clips. You will be amazed. Of course, maybe you should start with the trailer. Appropriately enough, the trailer prominently features "In the Hall of the Mountain King" (see last post).

Donkey Kong really is one of the all time greats. Back in my younger days I would spend a lot time at the arcade playing this game. A gas station near my house also had a machine. Were those quarters well spent? Some would say no, but I like to think I was forming neural pathways and developing my hand-eye coordination. The residual skills from jumping barrels and avoiding springs now allow me to play the marimba with a reasonable degree of accuracy.

I was pretty good, but not like these guys. These guys are absolutely crazy.

"What happens when a loser who needs to win faces a winner who refuses to lose?"

I've got to see this movie!

Edit: I had to get rid of the first clip I posted. I started automatically when the page loaded. I really hate that. Here's a different one that gives a nice overview of the game and some of the guys who are obsessed with it.

"it absolutely reeks of cow pies"

Here's a nice article about Edvard Grieg. It always seems strange to celebrate the anniversary of someone's death, but musicians just can't get enough of it.

I'm glad to see that Greig felt the same way about "In the Hall of the Mountain King" as I do....“something that I literally can’t stand to listen to because it absolutely reeks of cow pies, ultra-Norwegian-ness and trollish self-sufficiency.”

I think I would've liked that guy.

Here's the link.
Grieg Centenary - Music - New York Times

Also, the New York Times has called an end to the horrible idea known as "Times Select". Now NYT articles will not disappear into a pay site after a few days. Hooray!!!!

Mad Tambourine Skills

After reviewing the recording I am happy to report that there were plenty of great close-ups of Chris Lamb and his fellow percussionists on the Live from Lincoln Center broadcast Tuesday night. It was kind of strange to hear a complete performance of Carnival Overture. I'm afraid I've become used to fast-forwarding through the piece (to teach or practice the excerpts) and I didn't relize how long it had been since I had actually heard it from beginning to end.

By the way, I am now more convinced than ever that Chris Lamb is a robot....a musical robot. Just like that kid (Harry) in Spellbound. (I mean that in a good way for both Chris and Harry)

If you didn't see it, you should find someone who might have a copy. It is worth watching. The concert, that is. But, Spellbound is definitely worth watching, too.

A nice way to spend a Tuesday evening

Liana and I headed into Little Rock on Tuesday night to see Wilco. They were at Robinson Center Music Hall, where I had just played the Arkansas Symphony concert this past weekend.

If you had been me, this is how Wilco would have looked to you.


Or maybe like this...

What I can't get close to on the blog is a description of how incredible they sounded. They played for about two hours and proved to me that a band can sound absolutely great live. I think the key is having great musicians who understand how to play as an ensemble. that's not as common as it should be, unfortunately.

At 30 bucks a ticket (plus outrageous Ticketmaster fees), it has to be one of the best concert values out there today. The whole group was astounding, but as a percussionist it was a special treat to hear and see Glenn Kotche play live. Head over to Wilco World to check them out.

Jean-Jacques Perrey will make you happy

Have you ever been in the Magic Kingdom after dark? If so, you've probably heard the work of Jean-Jacques Perrey.

But there's more! So Much MORE! So head over to the website and click away. Be his friend on MySpace, watch YouTube videos of concert performances, look at the pictures, and listen to an mp3 of Baroque Hoedown (which was chosen by Disney for the theme song of the Main Street Electrical Parade). The site is a little confusing...but it's a lot of fun.

(The site is also going to be quite loud if your speakers are all the way up, so check your volume level NOW.)

Heads Up!

There are a couple of programs on PBS that you might want to mark on your calendars, set your VCR for, or Tivo.


I just caught the last ten minutes of Tony Bennett: The Music Never Ends. It's part of the PBS American Masters series. I'll be recording the whole program on a repeat showing after midnight. It looks to be on the schedule for Tuesday as well (At least on Hi-Def PBS).

I've been lucky enough to see Tony Bennett twice. The first time was at Chastain Park in Atlanta with the ASO. That was probably in 1989 0r 1990 (just before his "comeback" really took off). My friend Myron and I got there in time to see the first half of the concert, which consisted of some of the usual summer pops light classics. Tony Bennett finally took the stage just as the sky opened up. He told the audience that the orchestra had been great in rehearsal but that he had too much respect for them and their instruments to ask them to stay out in the rain. He sent them home and said that he and his trio would finish the show.

The rain got worse and the majority of the audience left. Myron and I stayed. Hearing Tony Bennett was too important for us to be chased away by a little rain. After another song, Tony stopped and scanned what was left of the audience. He could have packed it in and headed back to his hotel. Instead, he yelled out to the audience, "You guys are so great to stay here for me in this rain...I'm gonna sing 'til the sun comes out!"

and you know what ?

He did!

Just a few years ago I saw him again at Symphony Hall in Boston. Although it had been almost fifteen years since I had last seen him live, he sounded better than before. Better than ever. No kidding.

He really is an amazing musician and an amazing person. So, check out that American Masters if you can.

Also on Tuesday night is the live PBS broadcast of the New York Philharmonic's opening concert. It's an all Dvorak program which includes Yo-Yo Ma playing the Cello Concerto. And with any luck, we'll get some good footage of Mr. Lamb and friends on Carnival Overture. Those of you with tambourines might want to play along at home.

Here are some links for more information.

American Masters . Tony Bennett | PBS

Live From Lincoln Center | PBS

26 letters in the shape of a Ring

Wagner's Ring is so complicated, convoluted and confusing that it never hurts to look at it from as many angles as possible. The Guardian gives you an alphabetical summary of the work. The list even includes xylophone (although xylophone fans may be disappointed with the results). I think it was just a dodge to avoid the most obvious "X" entry for Wagner....Xenophobia. Still, plenty of useful information (with a touch of humor) may be found by following the link below.

Joe Queenan provides an A-Z of Wagner's Ring

ASO Season Opener

I'll be performing on a great program with the Arkansas Symphony this weekend. We'll be playing Capriccio Espagnol, Fountains of Rome, and Leonard Bernstein's Symphony No. 2 (Age of Anxiety). Misha Dichter will be the piano soloist for the Bernstein.

So come on out and hear a few percussion excerpts as well as the Bernstein. I'm pretty excited about the symphony. I've loved Age of Anxiety since my undergrad days. It's rarely performed, though, and it looks like the first time I'll hear it live I'm going to be a little distracted by counting rests and playing the xylophone. I'm sure it will still be an amazing experience.

Check out the Arkansas Symphony website for more information.

Music gets a 6.8

6.8?

Actually, that sounds about right.

Pitchfork Gives Music 6.8 | The Onion - America's Finest News Source