Drummers Beware!
Posted on August 26th, 2008
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KoSa DVD
Posted on August 25th, 2008
I recently posted an enthusiastic review of the 2008 KoSa Percussion Workshop and Festival held at Castleton State College, Castleton, VT. I was soon after contacted by the festival’s director, Aldo Mazza, asking if I were interested in carrying KoSa’s DVD covering all the aspects of 2006 KoSa workshop held at Johnson State College in Vermont. Of course, being a big fan of the event, I jumped at the opportunity.
The DVD is KoSa Eleven/Live 2006.
Please check it out!
-Joe
Corrections for the Previous KoSa Post
Posted on August 7th, 2008
The founder of KoSa, Aldo Mazza, pointed out to me that the workshop and festival has been held at Johnson State College rather than at Lyndon State College as I initially stated.
Also, Mr. Mazza clarified that the name Kosa translates with more emphasis than I indicated in the previous post: it means "thing" as THE thing or the ultimate.
-Joe
KoSA – 2008 – A Brief Review
Posted on August 6th, 2008
The header of this year’s poster tells it all! AWESOME!
Cyclically, we in the Rutland Vermont region are treated to percussive happening called KoSA. KoSA is an annual percussion workshop and festival open to beginning and established drummers or percussionists from around the world. Attendees are given an exceptional opportunity to be under the instruction of some of the finest performing and pedagogical drummers or percussionists extant. All areas of percussion are covered. Classical, jazz in all its flavors, the different styles of rock, Latin percussion and keyboard to mention some. World drumming is always an important feature with international greats such as Glen Velez. Middle Eastern drumming, Indian Tabla, didgeridoo, it goes on and on.
(The reason I describe the occurrence of the KoSa workshop being in our area cyclically is because the workshop alternates its annual event between Johnson State College in Johnson, Vermont and here in Castleton at Castleton State College. I’m pleased to see the show come back to Castleton!)
Every evening during the festival, Wednesday through Saturday, the public is offered an exciting, professional percussion show performed by the management and workshop’s instructional staff. In the past the public performances were free. But this year there was a reasonable charge of $10. On Saturday, closing the festival, is a free concert performed by the workshop participants.
Fellow drummer and friend, Randy Wilcox, and I attended the Friday evening concert. The concert began with performances by the world-renowned marimba virtuosa, Nancy Zeltsman. Her four-mallet work was remarkable as well as beautiful.
Always enjoyable, the next performer, Arnie Lang of the New York Symphony, developed a skeletal snare drum part into a multi-percussion composition.
Former Frank Zappa drummer Chester Thompson showed his fusion drumming skills, beginning his performance with an exciting funk groove evolving into some fast, complex fills.
Percussionist, Gordon Gottlieb, gave us fun performance using everything: triangle, scat, body slaps and multi-percussion. I may have missed something! I wish I could describe it better!
Afro-Cuban – Brazilian music specialist Memo Acevedo offered us a thrilling rhythmic performance on kit and cajon as well as a song. He later teamed up with Gordon Gottlieb with some mesmerizing mambo rhythms.
KoSa, as founder and director Aldo Mazza explains, denotes “THE Thing” or the ultimate in Italian or Spanish.
If you or your child are interested in learning new areas of percussion or improving your or your child’s current skill level, I highly recommend attending the ultimate KoSa workshop and festival.
If you are not interested in being involved in the workshop but love great percussion, I encourage you to attend to the ultimate 2009 evening concerts..
Look for news about the 2009 KoSa workshop and festival on their website or stay tuned to Black River Music Work for updates.
-Joe
APRDC – I hardly knew ye!
Posted on August 5th, 2008
As of August 1, 2008, The American Patriots Rudimental Drummers Club (APRDC) is no more!
John and Barbara Flowers have decided to fold their creation. (Read more about the club: April convention of the APRDC).
The effort to continue the organization had become too difficult for the couple. This loss has saddened much of the membership who has grown to love the club. Although the founders encourage the membership to continue a similar club, they request that the name, which they had given to it, not be used. This wish actually angered some. They believe it important that the name should continue. But John and Barbara want to have the club they created with the name they created cease to exist while at the pinnacle of its success. Their fear is that after their retirement from the club’s administration, the organization might fall into sad disarray. They prefer not to have their names associated with such a hypothetical club.
I sympathize with the founders’ desires to retire the club’s name. I also understand the consternation of the members that feel that not allowing the name to continue is selfish on the founder’s part. (I have related the story to a couple of members who called me after the announcement of the disbanding of the APRDC of the similar disbanding of The Hat Makers Drum and Bugle Corps in 1960 by the founding couple, Jesse and Gussie Saunders. At that time I was a member of the corps for about four years and had just graduated from high school that June. My father had been a founding member of the Hatters. My older brothers and aunt were at one time members. As with John and Barbara, Jesse and Gussie did not want to see the corps deteriorate in their lifetime. At the time I thought it was cruel and selfish of them to terminate the corps. It had been the only social life I had then)
My feelings have become that, since the APRDC has been in existence a relatively short time and has not become truly established in the minds of the drumming community, continuing with a rudimental drummers club with a different name would be satisfactory.
I hope when emotions regarding this event calm, the former membership of the APRDC can continue pursuing the original goals of the club under a new moniker, possibly of: the National Rudimental Drummers Club (NRDC).
-Joe
The Latest News from Black River Music Plus
Posted on August 1st, 2008
Black River Music Plus sent out its August newsletter last evening. The newsletter announced that our online store now is a dealer for the fine drumming products of Innovative Percussion and is offering the fine rudimental drumming books of DCA champion snare drummer, Rick Beckham.
Innovative Percussion:
Initially Black River Music Plus is stocking the signature marching drumstick inspired by leading drum line instructors: Tim Fairbank, Paul Rennick, Bret Kuhn, Mike McIntosh and James Casella. Good friend and frequent contributor to this blog, Dominick Cuccia enlightened me the superior quality of these drumsticks. (Dominick is prominent teacher and proponent of heritage rudimental drumming. Check out Dominick’s workshop at the 2008 Percussive Arts Society International Convention in Austin, TX on November 6.)
We’ll let Dominick later tell us more about Innovative Percussion products and his upcoming PAS work shops.
Rick Beckham’s Books:
I first began to communicate with Rick Beckham about 10 years ago through his then new website and forum, www.rudimentaldrumming.com.This new association opened a whole different drumming world for me. Having been away from drumming and drum corps for many years and being rather insular in my view of drumming when I returned to it, Rick’s website made a great impression on me. I had never seen before anyone perform the "stuff" as Rick and his peers presented: the intricate rudiment combination; the new "cheese" rudiments; the incredible speed!
Oh, I did see monumental rudimental drummers back in the early 1960′s. And they were impressive in their own right. But that was standstill, "Old Rules", contest drumming with no general effect additions allowed.
Along with my short experience with the Connecticut Alumni Drum and Bugle corps, my association with Rick Beckham and his Drummers for Rudimental Mastery co-founder, Ken Mazur has had the greatest influence on my personal late-in-life drumming career.
The Books:
Rick’s The Rudimental Drummer is an instructional, informative book covering the basics and philosophy of rudimental drumming. Stroke concepts, hand grips and the rudiments are explained in clear terms. The book proceeds with putting the previously covered knowledge to increasingly callenging exercises and eventually to complete drum solos. As described by the author, the format of The Rudimental Drummer is presented in a format similar Charley Wilcoxon’s classic drum books. The notation for a version of Rick’s championship drum solo, XLR8 is included in this book. Check out his XLR8 video on the book’s product page:
The Beckham Book is a compilation of 20 of Rick’s drum solos plus 3 of his duet compositions. The skill levels for these pieces range from beginner to advanced. (His grade 8 solo, Dilemma might be Rick’s prototype for his championship solo XLR8.) The book is exactly what you need if you are building your rudimental skills for competition or just for fun.
In closing, I found and enjoyed this video by Tommy Igoe on the rudimentaldrumming.com forum:
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