After spending several days hosting Gordon Stout at the 2014 Longhorn Marimba Intensive I couldn’t help but be impressed with his vigor and overall enthusiasm for playing and teaching. Gordon gave a marimba recital, clinic and master-class during his time at LHMI.
So how does he do it? He attributes losing weight (almost 20lbs!), a recent sabbatical, and more practice time; claiming he is currently playing his best. After his recital I can attest to that! I can only hope that in my 60’s I can be playing that well, and have as much zeal for playing and sharing my knowledge of the marimba.
Of course, In Gordon’s case, that knowledge is immense. The students (and yes, yours truly) constantly enjoyed many of Gordon’s stories and philosophies. After a serious update on the rosewood shortage Gordon made a statement saying “Breaking a marimba bar is a sin”. The students all laughed but, of course Gordon didn’t.
As someone who remembers earlier days for the modern marimba and it’s repertoire I find younger students don’t know enough about figures like Gordon Stout and what they’ve contributed to our art. To that end I know that Gordon is currently working on an iBook to help rectify this problem. We’ll keep you posted on that effort and be sure to let you know of it’s progress.
Gordon discussing his 2nd Mexican Dance
It’s refreshing to me to see how he has embraced technology. Gordon shared with me that along with his new ibook project he is also experimenting with video. Expect him to make the best use of the ibooks platform. You’ll also find Gordon on Twitter: @StoutGordon (I love his twitter profile pic). Gordon recently released a new CD entitled Welcome to Stoutland which will be released digitally soon. Hit the link above for more news and information about his new music and projects.
Want more Gordon? Be sure to check out our podcast interview from a few years back: Part IPart II.
Do you have any Gordon Stout impressions? If so, please share them below the post.
Welcome to part II! Fresh off a residency at the University of Texas at Austin, I sat down and had an off-the-cuff conversation with Dr. John Parks who is Associate Professor of Percussion at Florida State University. In Part – II we get down to business and discuss why Haydn is a hack, the new Florida State Percussion Ensemble CD, and the importance of Leigh Howard Stevens’ book “Method of Movement”. Plus, the most epic thing to ever happen on PATV happens about 12 minutes in!
What topics would you like for us to discuss next time? Leave your comments.
Fresh off a residency at the University of Texas at Austin, I sat down and had an off-the-cuff conversation with Dr. John Parks who is Associate Professor of Percussion at Florida State University. We discuss guest artists, weight loss, play word association, and wonder if Haydn is a hack. Part II will air Sunday, and I promise you, you won’t want to miss that one!
Who are your favorite guest artists? Feel free to play some “percussion” word association, but play nice! Leave your comments and word associations below.
Today we sit down with Third Coast Percussion minutes after their showcase concert at the 2nd annual Round Top Percussion Festival, in Round Top, Texas. We thought it would be good to preview DrumChattr podcast episode #6 which will feature an interview with founding member David Skidmore. Look for that post on Monday!
It seems percussion chamber music ensembles are more successful than ever. What factors do you think are allowing the success of groups like So Percussion and Third Coast? Leave your thoughts below.
Rob Slack, principal percussionist of the Pacific Symphony, sat down with percussionist Jerry Friedman to chronicle his life in Vaudeville and the NBC studio orchestra. For more information about Rob, check out his website and snare drum videos on YouTube.
Jerry Friedman is a living historical treasure to the world of percussion. Born in 1912 in Chicago, he still plays the marimba daily at a virtuoso level. His career spanned from Vaudeville in early childhood to live radio broadcasts through the life of television from its beginnings in the early 1950’s with the ABC studio orchestra to the late 1970’s with the NBC studio orchestra. It was a joy and inspiration to meet with him, and his love and enthusiasm for playing percussion are as fresh today as earlier in his career. The following is an interview with Jerry Friedman. (more…)
