Bob Becker and Yurika Kimura – PASIC concert tour

Posted by

Japanese marimbist Yurika Kimura and I will present a Showcase Concert on Saturday, November 16 at PASIC 2013 in Indianapolis, IN. Prior to and following the PASIC concert, we will make a short tour including appearances at the following venues (for more details check my Events page, which gives information about all of my upcoming non-NEXUS… Read more »

NEXUS and the Notorious Bank Robber

Posted by

It was announced this week that the notorious bank robber Stephen Reid has won a $5000 literary award for his collection of essays penned in prison. Reid’s life and philosophy were the subject of the 2007 documentary “Inside Time” for which NEXUS provided the sound track. The film (directed by Jason Young and produced by… Read more »

What Do I Do Now?

Posted by

I regularly receive emails from college students and recent grads asking for some career advice.  Here is an edited example: Dear. Professor  Cahn, I was referred to you by [a friend] in possibly knowing musicians in [any city].I am a hand percussionist that did some studying at [any school].   Since I won’t be returning to… Read more »

“Inuksuit” in Rochester on September 15, 2013

Posted by

The weather cooperated fully on Sunday, September 15 as sixty-six percussionists from Rochester and Buffalo unloaded several carloads of drums, cymbals, tam-tams, sirens, and assorted sound-making implements at the High Falls historic area along the Genesee River in downtown Rochester, New York.  The skies were partly sunny and the temperature mild on this late summer… Read more »

Join us Sept 7 in Woodstock for DRUM BOOGIE!

Posted by

We’re getting ready for the Drum Boogie Festival on Saturday Sept 7 (rain date Sept 8th)  in Woodstock NY. NEXUS will perform a tribute to the great ragtime composer George Hamilton Green at 10 a.m. at the Artists Cemetery. Then at 11 the festival begins at Andy Lee Field. Along with NEXUS, performers include Jack… Read more »

Business is Like Riding a Bicycle

Posted by

As I road my bike to work today, I thought about the similarities of the ride and that of doing business.  We live on a hill and Woodstock Chimes is on another hill here in the Catskills of Upstate New York.  In between is the magnificent Ashokan Reservoir which has supplied clean water to New… Read more »

The Reich stuff: workshops by Bob and Russell

Posted by

“The Reich stuff”: that’s what Bill Cahn calls it. The New Yorker has called Steve Reich “the most original musical thinker of our time.”  Steve Reich has called NEXUS “probably the most acclaimed percussion group on earth.”  Clearly, a match made in heaven! In 2010, NEXUS premiered Reich’s new Mallet Quartet, commissioned by NEXUS and… Read more »

Drum Boogie Festival® 2013 Comes to Woodstock, NY!

Posted by

Drum Boogie Festival® 2013 Comes to Woodstock, NY! A Free World-Class Music Festival with Dance & Voice WOODSTOCK, New York – (July 19, 2013) – The Drum Boogie Festival www.drumboogiefestival.com  is a free, one-day music festival which is family-oriented and multi-cultural, celebrating the diverse styles of music, dance and voice from around the world. It… Read more »

The Birth of Woodstock Chimes

Posted by

I’ve always been interested in the creation of new things. My contribution however has mostly been in the improvement of existing things. I did not invent the windchime but I certainly made some meaningful improvements. Similar items have been around for literally thousands of years. We all know ancient civilizations have used windbells of various… Read more »

Takemitsu and the Canadian connection

Posted by

I have just been reading a very interesting blog post about Toru Takemitsu that talks of his many connections with Canada and Toronto. The article is a discussion of a recording of his pieces : TAKEMITSU: Toward the Sea / Rain Tree / Rain Spell / Bryce. The recording features Robert Aitken and the Toronto… Read more »

Working Together: Orchestra Musicians, Boards and Management

Posted by

Working Together: Orchestra Musicians, Boards and Management by William L. Cahn   The Wall Street Journal for Friday, June 7,2013 carries an article in the “D” Section, “After Orchestras Strike: A Tale of Two Cities” by Terry Teachout.   http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323844804578527110776069672.html?KEYWORDS=After+Orchestras+Strike   The article compares the ways in which two orchestras – The Minnesota Orchestra and… Read more »

McCaslin, Nimmons and all things NEXUS

Posted by

I’ve been meaning to mention for awhile now the super blog-post from Jon McCaslin about NEXUS. Check it out here.  Jon includes some nice video footage too: NEXUS performing Steve Reich’s Music For Pieces of Wood, Steve Gadd tap-dancing to NEXUS, and Duke’s Lullaby featuring Steve Gadd and Abraham Adzenyah with NEXUS. Jon happens to… Read more »

The NEXUS Book of Yorkers

Posted by

Yorker (yor’ ker)  n.  a thought-provoking phrase or comment made by participants during the two-week residency of NEXUS at York University in July/August 1973.

Listen to an Interview with Bill, Russell and Maestro Peter Bay – May 2013

Posted by

On the eve of a performance of Takemitsu’s “From me flows what you call Time” with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, conductor Peter Bay and NEXUS members William Cahn and Russell Hartenberger were interviewed by WXXI’s Julia Figueras to talk about the piece.  Click HERE to listen to the complete interview.

×