Today’s video features Bill Cahn playing Joe Green’s Xylophonia with Nexus and Steve Gadd on drum set. Make sure you check out the drum break in the middle of the song to see Steve Gadd tap dance! This video is from a live performance in 1988 at Gotanda Kan-I Hoken Hall in Japan.
What is you favorite xylophone rag? Have you ever seen Steve Gadd tap dance? Let us know.
John Serry’s Night Rhapsody for solo marimba is one of the great early pieces in the contemporary marimba repertoire. While still clearly “Serry-esque”, his new work Groundlines deviates significantly from his masterwork of over 30 years ago. Featuring Dies Irae quotes and Sonata Form, Night Rhapsody features a clear connection to the romantic era of western classical music. That connection seems to be missing entirely from Groundlines leaving us with pure compositional mechanics. Check out the video to formulate some reactions to this new work expertly performed by Ji Hye Jung.
What are your thoughts on Serry’s compositional shift with Groundlines? What are your impressions of the work as a whole?
One of the posts in the Chattr Section asks what people are playing on their recitals. One of my go to books for multi-percussion is Steve Schick’s “The Percussionist’s Art.” It presents a fantastic amount of analysis of several works and on the art of playing in general. One of the pieces in our repertoire, that I think is often forgotten in “XY”, by Michael Gordon, so for today’s post, here is Steve Schick performing XY.
Have you ever played “XY,” or seen it played live? What is your favorite Multi-Percussion Piece?
Originally posted on DrummChattr.com on February 2, 2011.
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