It was shocking to read in a FaceBook posting on July 29, 2016 that Peter Sadlo, one of the leading percussion soloists in Europe, had passed away. The circumstances of his passing remain unknown to me as of this writing. In 1992 when NEXUS first met Sadlo, he was the Principal Percussionist (Solopauker) with the… Read more »
Question: Who played the Percussion part on the “NEXUS Ragtime Concert” LP and CD? The NEXUS LP record titled, “NEXUS Ragtime Concert” was made in 1976 in Toronto. It was recorded using the best technology at the time: the direct-to-disc process, in which a performance was recorded in real time directly from the mic… Read more »
On Friday, April 1 Ruth and I walked into an antique shop in Caledonia, New York, and I was almost immediately drawn to a colorful item sitting on one of the tables; it was a very nice rope snare drum. The shop’s proprietor told me that it was brought into the shop by a Civil… Read more »
On April 10, 2016 a celebration for Russell Hartenberger was held in Walter Hall at the Faculty of Music of the University of Toronto for Russell’s retirement. In attendance were many of Russell’s colleagues, former students and friends, including special guests, Janet and Alan Abel.
From time to time I receive questions regarding specific passages for percussion in the orchestra and chamber music repertoire. Question: Can you shed some light on Stravinsky’s notation at rehearsal “29” in “Les Noces” in the caisse claire/tambour sans timbre part? Response: I assume that this question is about the rolled-chords (vertical wavy lines)… Read more »
On Saturday, February 27, 2016 when I first received news of Robin’s passing, I was overwhelmed with a deep sense of sadness that can only come from losing someone who is loved as a longtime friend, mentor, and colleague. My mind has been flooded with memories, and yet it has taken days to be able… Read more »
On November 7, 2015 the collection of disc phonograph records listed in this index below was delivered to the Center for Mallet Percussion Research at Kutztown University, c/o the Kutztown University Foundation located at 15200 Kutztown Road, Kutztown, PA 19530. To read more about the Archive CLICK HERE: Notes on the Archive Included in the… Read more »
After posting the information about the publication of “Time Zones” (see my preceding blog post), I received the following response on Facebook from Lee Gurst, whom I have known since high school days in Philadelphia, at which time I greatly admired his concert snare drumming. Lee studied with Philadelphia Orchestra percussionist, Michael Bookspan, one of… Read more »
I’m excited and pleased to announce that Bachovich Music Publications is now publishing my “Time Zones – Five Concert Pieces for Snare Drum.” The compositions are intended to be added to the repertoire for solo percussion recitals, and the five pieces were composed to be complimentary, so that any number of them – from one… Read more »
A few years ago Russell Hartenberger put together a chart which shows the network of connections between timpanists and members of NEXUS. For anyone who might be interested, here it is; enjoy!
On Sunday November 15 Kaz, Aya, Nonoka, Michael Burritt and I flew back home from the San Antonio PASIC to Rochester by way of Charlotte, NC. The three visitors from Japan were our guests for a few days. It was a very clear dark night when we finally arrived at my house, and as we… Read more »
On November 11, my 69th birthday (whaaat!) I flew to San Antonio for the 40th Percussive Arts Society International Convention, the annual gathering of about 6000 percussionists/drummers from all over the world. After checking in to my hotel I contacted Kazunori Meguro (‘Kaz’), who had just arrived from Tokyo and who was staying at the… Read more »
Saturday, November 7th was the date for the opening of the new Center for Mallet Percussion Research at Kutztown University – a 4-1/2-hour drive into central Pennsylvania. I arrived at the University’s Schaeffer Auditorium around noon and met with Dr. Frank Kumor, the Assistant Professor of Percussion Studies, and Dr. Willis Rapp, the retired professor… Read more »
November 2015 was a month filled with lots of diverse and intense musical activities. It started on October 31 – Halloween – with a concert by ROCdrummers at the David F, Gantt Community Center in Rochester, NY. It was the first-ever performance by the after school drum ensemble comprised of public school students. The kids… Read more »
On Saturday November 7, 2015 I’m in Pennsylvania to present a session on “The Xylophone in Acoustic Recordings 1877-1929” for the grand opening of the new Center for Mallet Percussion Research at Kutztown University.
