I was treated to a great surprise recently while on a trip to North Carolina. It seems there is an extraordinary boy named Nolan from Chapel Hill that is in love with Woodstock Chimes. He visits our website daily (www.chimes.com) and has gotten to know our product line better than most people! The managers of… Read more »
Roll Magazine which covers art, music, theater, cinema, lifestyles and events throughout New York’s Hudson Valley region, has an article about little ole me in this month’s (December 2010) issue. What’s cool about the online version are the video tours of my music studio and the Woodstock Chimes showroom of my products (you can… Read more »
Google has come out with a new cell phone called the NEXUS S. Maybe they need a ringtone from NEXUS, the percussion group. How about John Cages’s 4′ 33″ or Steve Reich’s Complete Drumming (that would give you an hour to answer your phone)? This phone, the Nexus S, bears little resemblance to Google’s… Read more »
I am planning to present the second Drum Boogie Festival on September 17th (rain date 18th), 2011 in Kingston New York. NEXUS will be featured along with other world class percussionists and groups. I will update the event announcement as the information comes in, so check the festival website for up to date news: www.drumboogiefestival.com Media Contact:… Read more »
NEXUS members have been performing in Woodstock New York for the past 20 years to benefit the original arts group founded in 1903 called the Byrdcliffe Arts Colony. This annual concert, sponsored by the Woodstock Chimes Fund is called the Woodstock Beat. Last summer it brought NEXUS, So Percussion and Steve Reich and Musicians to the… Read more »
The following interview with Robin Engelman took place in Toronto in August, 1996. This is the first time it has been published. Bill Cahn: Do you see any ‘sea’ changes or ‘environmental’ changes in the world of music happening right now. If you do can do define what they are? If you don’t can you… Read more »
Everyone is busy at this time of year, and NEXUS is no different. Bill has been in Japan where, judging from his blog posts, he is gathering plenty of repertoire inspiration, and having the creative fuel-tanks refilled. Garry, white beard flowing
The tenth anniversary session of the Bob Becker Ragtime Xylophone Institute was held from August 2 through 7, 2010 at the University of Delaware in Newark, DE. This year’s participants, left to right in the photo, were: Mike Correa, Paul Bernard, Dwayne Corbin, Chris Hogan, Ryan Lewis, Bob, Harvey Price, Julia Ross, Mike Franklin, Sam… Read more »
Monday evening (December 13, 2010) I attended a solo recital titled, “Touch-ing” at the Showa Academy Recital Hall. It was a performance by Hideki Ikegami, a terrific marimbist and percussionist with piano accompaniment by Kanna Shibata. Hideki is about 30-years-old and was a student of Atsushi Sugahara, who was also in the audience. (Sugahara studied… Read more »
As I write this, I’m listening to “The Messiah” being discussed on Japanese television while it’s performed by a Japanese chorus, Japanese vocal soloists, and Japanese musicians playing on period instruments, including timpani (with wooden mallets) that are very much like the hand-tuned drums I saw earlier today (more about the hand-tuned timps in a… Read more »
It’s Saturday and the first week of my residency at Showa is coming to an end. On this visit I have definitely noticed a higher level of performance, both in the private lessons and in the ensemble rehearsals and concerts. There have been 19 private lessons, most with a focus on solo multi-perc pieces, but… Read more »
I’m in Japan again for the third time in 2010 for my 2-week teaching residency at the Showa Academy of Music. I finally arrived at my hotel room in Kawasaki at 5:30 AM Rochester time – exactly 25-1/2-hours after waking up at home. The flights from Rochester and JFK were smooth and uneventful. This… Read more »
The Short List for the 2010 Atlantis Music Prize has just been announced and it reminded me that the 2009 winner was a percussionist. The Atlantis Music Prize is awarded to the best full-length album from the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador, “judged on artistic merit, without regard to genre or sales”. Percussionist/composer Curtis… Read more »
December is glowing: Hanukah candles, Christmas trees, Kwanzaa lights, Solstice and New Year preparations. Gifts and music are a major part of the celebrations and it has me thinking about the gifted artists in NEXUS and their offerings, ranging from choral to kids.
The following interview with Bob Becker took place on July 30, 1996. This is the first time it has been published. Bill Cahn: Do you see any “sea changes” happening now and if so what would you say they are and what are their characteristics?
