Published on
February 20, 2007 in
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I took the fam to Stomp last weekend. It had been quite a while since I’d seen it. What a great show! Tap dancing and drumming with found objects and a very zippy cast. The drumming is pretty much samba, taiko and good old drum solo stuff. A lot of triplets ensue. I had forgotten that there’s a comic relief element to it also.
What blew me away (again) was the concept. Every number was based on everyday objects which ensures relevance all around. Trash cans, paper bags, lighters, match boxes and the kitchen sink all are used with great energy and creativity. I just wish I could come up with an idea that is so direct and powerful. There’s got to be something!
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Published on
February 6, 2007 in
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Man, what a great article in the NYT about former Chicago Symphony Principal Percussionist Ted Atkatz and his band NYCO. What a macrotalented dude. I know this because I am decidedly microtalented. It’s scientifically proven.
TA has definitely got the juice for making a difficult run at pop stardom. You can tell by the way he plays keyboards and guitar in his band and not the xylophone. Multi-instrumentalism is a sure-fire tip off that one has big bowls of ability. Ted can sing, too. He’s got a great voice. So there you have it. Do your part and download his record from iTunes. I’m on my way there now…
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Published on
February 3, 2007 in
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OK, this one is over the top, but here goes. My pal and extra percussionist extraordinaire, Henry Claude, showed me a mod he made to his triangle beaters. He punched a hole through some earplugs and shoved them up under the head of his Kim Shelley/Michael Ferris beaters. (These are awesome beaters, but I’m not sure if they’re still making them.) The point of this invention is to let you rest your beater on the dangler quietly before you play. If you’re one of the several dozen people in the world that do this regularly, you know what I mean. Any nerves and you’re likely to get the unintentional ding, which is never a good thing.
I found that using the flat ended ear plugs is best. You can squash them flat and drill through them very acurately in one go, then simply slide them onto the beater. I am going to try them tonight in “La Mer” with the SLSO. Here’s a photo of this hopelessly nerdy mod.
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