Prominent percussionists Flashcards
Ruth Stuber Jeanne
1910-2004
• Studied with Musser
• Played in iconic 1933 worlds fair performance
• Premiered Creston Concertino (1940)
• Premiered one of first extended works for solo marimba
Keiko Abe
1937-Present
• 1960s-premiered 18 new works incl. Concertos
• Composer, uniquely Keiko style. Commissioned many works
• Artistic flair and power behind the instrument.
• Japanese folk music + improvisation to the marimba
• Concerto “Prism Rhapsody”- 6 mallet techniques
Vida Chenoweth
- Studied with C.O. Musser
- Responsible for Bringing solo marimba as equal to piano/violin
- Premiered Robert Kurka marimba concerto
- Book: “Marimbas of Guatemala” reference
- Pursued degree in Ethno
Steve Schick
- Studies at university of Iowa
- Memorizes incredibly difficult performances of contemporary solo percussion
- Director of Ojai music festival; UC San Diego; La Jolla symphony director
- David Lang, Anvil Chorus; Brian Ferneyhough Bone Alphabet;
- Premiered David Gordon’s XY
- Red Fish Blue Fish, Bang on a Can All-Star original percussionist
- Author Same Bed Different Dreams
Leigh Howard Stevens
- Studied at Eastman, also with Joe Morello and later Vida Chenowith
- 4 mallet technique - book, pioneering the rotation stroke. Adapting other music while commissioning new works
- First commission: Helble Prelude
- “demonstration piece” - Rhythmic Caprice
- 1993 - est. international solo marimba competition
- Instrument builder - several patents, including height adjustment and tunable resonators.
Raynor Carroll
- Principal percussion with LA Phil for 33 years
- Black orchestral/classical musician - self described “not common”
- Director of Percussion at UCLA
- Orchestral excerpt collections, timpani pedagogy book (complete with solos)
Alan Abel
- Associate principal percussion of Philadelphia, played with orchestra 1959-1997
- Taught at Temple University, many accomplished students in orchestras and university positions
- Early student – Russell Hartenberger
- Developed Abel triangle, clear pitch and bright sound
- Developed suspended, free-floating BD concept.
- PAS Hall of Fame
David Herbert
- Principal Timpani, Chicago (since 2013); previously San Francisco Symphony
- High quality handcrafted timpani mallets w/carbon fiber shafts.
- Commissioned Kraft Grand Encounter Concerto No. 2, giant setup for 8 piccolo timpani and 6 standard timpani.
Vic Firth (1930-2015)
- Studied at NEC – Roman Szulc, traveled to Juiliard to study with Saul Goodman
- Boston Symphony/Boston Pops since early ‘50s
- Dedicated educator at NEC and summer festivals since 1950
- Began crafting pitch matched sticks, high quality. Round head timp mallets w/no seams
- 1960 – Vic Firth company began in his basement, grown into large corporation dedicated to manufacturing and education
Jose Luis Quintana (Changuito) (1948-)
- Casablanca, Cuba – played in many jazz bands in Havana
- Joined Los Van Van in 1970, pioneered the drum set in Cuban dance music (not common previously)
- Virtuoso player, significant contribution to the songo genre, invented multiple grooves and patterns utilized by virtually all Cuban drummers/percussionists
- Also contributed to timbale/drum set innovations
Kenny Clarke
Kenny Clarke (1914-1985)
• Early bebop drummer
• Tough childhood, in and out of foster homes.
• 1935 - moved to NY. Played with Freddie Green
• 1939 - Dizzy Gillespie & Teddy Hill
• 1941 - Minton’s playhouse (Harlem), Thelonious Monk; Gillespie and Count Basie sit in.
Art Blakey
Art Blakey (1919-1990)
• 1940s - Thelonious Monk, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie
• 44-47 - Billy Eckstine (singer/bandleader)
• two years living in Africa, adopted Islam as his
• 47- Jazz Messengers - hard bop.
• Notable Messengers “alumni” - Wayne Shorter, Marsalis bros. Keith Jarrett
Jimmy Cobb
- 1929-2020
- Drummer for Miles Davis in late 50s, early 60s
- “Kind of Blue” album, which many tunes such as “All Blues,” “Freddie Freeloader,” and “So What” have become standards in jazz rep.
- ride cymbal variations, light comping, modal jazz. Not the hard bop of later in the 50s, but epitome of the “cool jazz” movement
- played with many jazz greats including Bill Evans, John Coltrane, Stan Getz
David Garibaldi
(1946-)
• Oakland
• Drummer for Tower of Power since 1970
• Influential funk/ R&B drummer.
• Incredible use of ghost notes, backbeats, funk beats on cowbell. Layers of drumming
• Talking Drums - Jesus Diaz & Michael Spiro in 1990s. incorporation of Afro0-Cuban and clave-based grooves into funk playing.
PAS Hall of Fame, many Modern Drummer awards
• Hit by train on the way to gig at Yoshi’s in San Francisco in 2017. Literally had to re-learn how to play the drums, but came back for several anniversary shows after the incident.
