North American Frame Drum Association Festival and More Events to Come

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It's the last day of March and so much to do before the end of the semester. I find that blogging helps me organize what has just passed and prepare for the next step... feeling productive while not exactly being productive.

So I live in a very remote region of the Colorado Rockies and find it hysterical that as I type this, Valerie Naranjo is at my house practicing on my marimba for the New York City Weekend of Percussion, and in a few days, I'll be hanging out here in Alamosa with Samir Chatterjee, tabla virtuoso.

This past weekend was an inspiring time in New Jersey. The North American Frame Drum Association festival took place outside of NYC and was truly an amazing experience. The biggest names in frame drumming held workshops, taught private lessons, and performed concerts. It's a small event so you really feel as though you are getting up close experiences. One of these days, I'll write more about the event, but with so much marimba, vibraphone, and chamber music to practice for upcoming recitals, frame drumming will have to wait... although I may compose something for tar, bendir, and flute for the May recital. We'll see if we have time. Regardless, I'd like to attend NAFDA North in Brattleboro, VT in October. Tracy's family is from the area, the leaves may be changing, I can visit the Cooperman factory again, and what an excuse to head back east. Here's a pic of Steafan Hannigan, Irish musician and amateur comedian.

Colorado Pan Festival is on the Horizon

Pack the Subaru with dog and go. Once in Denver, find ethnic cuisine. This time around, it was Middle Eastern on night one, Indian on night two. Dog park for socialization with "city dogs," Gabe's old designation. Shop for new phones and now Blackberry's to "enhance life." Really? We'll see...

The important aspect to this trip as it pertains to my blog was a meeting with some fine gentlemen who are widely known for their pan playing and programs. A lunch meeting in a Golden, CO cafe with the following:

Don Prorak- leader of Pan Jumbies, the CSU Steel Drum Band, and others, as well as a board member for the local musician's union.

Rick Henson, pan player, educator, and director of the Rocky Mountain Steel Bands.

Tom Miller, one of the big names in steel drum bands. Among other things (like directing Denver University's Lamont School of Music Pan Program), he is the president of Pan Ramajay Productions, curiculum director of the Manette Steel Drum Workshop, and is a well-known recording artist.

The topic for the meeting was the creation of a western states pan festival and our target is April 2010. The idea would be to host other bands (including ours), do clinics during the day, and have the featured artist(s) perform in the evening, with a concluding mass band performance. I cannot wait to help make this happen. There's a great amount of experience amongst the group and I have no doubt it'll be a success.

If you know of anyone interested, do not hesitate to contact us!

J-

Practice time

Late spring break and still a lot to practice. More to do. This is an example of not practicing. Back to practicing.

What a difference lighting can make and a new CD.

Greetings,

With spring break only a few days away, it's great to have a plan in place. Things have been hectic around the college, but we have arrived at the trough of activity before the final crest takes hold. Tracy is on a 10 day tour with the USAF Academy Band so as I type this, she's probably playing flute in civilian attire with a bunch of people in uniform, somewhere in Indiana.

A great friend, Matt Thomas came to Colorado to do the same tour so we were able to hang out over the weekend. Matt and I met on the audition circuit almost 10 years ago, played together in the AF band, and toured together playing everything from salsa to Ugandan Amadinda. It was great to catch up and he was gracious enough to do an Afro-Cuban drumming clinic for my students.

My next clinician is Samir Chatterjee, virtuoso tabla player. I cannot wait!

As for my musical outlook, today was the first day of executing a plan for practicing. With a fundraiser gala, a recital with saxophonist Ryan Janus, a student's senior recital performance, and a duo program with Tracy all on the horizon, it's time to get to work. Additionally, I am looking forward to performing St. Paddy's Day at the brewery. Any gig I can walk to with a concertina and bodhran, drink beer, and not have to worry about driving home is a good gig. I also need to squeeze in a final recording for a documentary project on Martinique. Don Richmond is in the final stages of writing the music and I want to finish this thing for him!

Last night and this morning served as my official test run of new lighting around my marimba. Amazing what a difference seeing the bars can make.

Also, a CD I recorded the drum tracks for is now available. Check out Mike Addington here and if you like southwestern country, you'll love this album.

Off to steel drum band rehearsal. Thanks for reading!!

J-