Jim Roberts Percussion News

Summit to Shore: Ocrafolk Festival – Saturday’s Performers on the Howard Street Stage

2010-08-04T09:48:00.000-07:00

Summit to Shore: Ocrafolk Festival – Saturday’s Performers on the Howard Street Stage

Craicdown Facebook Page is up!

2010-08-04T09:41:00.000-07:00

My band Craicdown has it's Facebook page up! Take a look~

If you friend me it makes it easier for me to keep in touch with you!!

NEW CRAICDOWN CD!!

2010-06-21T14:56:00.000-07:00

Here is the Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year, the heart of the spring and summer. The big news is that my trio, Craicdown, has it's new CD in hand! The official release is scheduled Sunday, October 24! We will have a party and festivities at a place announced later. This labor of love was 2 years in the making and we hope it worth the wait.

The band consists of Rob Sharer on string and wind instruments. He also sings, writes and jumps from tall buildings (or small walls). David DiGiuseppe plays accordion and cittern and he writes as well. I play percussion like a drum set and drum set like percussion. See if you can follow that one.

The music isn’t easily pigeonholed but imagine if the Duhks met the Bryds and flew around the world together! – that could be us more or less without the harmony singing and the 12 string electric! Three diverse musicians following their own “Roads” finally converge in a place called CRAICDOWN (crack-down) meaning a good time or party. Party with purpose and make some serious music while you’re at it!

You won’t have to wait till October to get it as it is up on CD Baby!
Check it out at cdbaby.com/craicdown You can download it or get the CD.

More soon!

Welcome Students!

2008-03-21T08:35:00.001-07:00

Welcome to Jim Roberts Percussion! So you want to learn drum set, hand drums, beginning piano, guitar or vocals? Or maybe you're a band or orchestra student who wants to learn traditional percussion (mallets, snare drum, timpani). Either way - You've come to the right place!

I've been teaching performing and producing for over 20 years. Because my interests are varied, I have a lot of different "musical wells" to draw upon, from music of the world to the music of the America. They include all types of current styles including Alternative, Pop, Hip and Hop, and Latin to Folk, African, Cuban, Brazilian, Rock, Country, Classical, Jazz and others. Presently, I teach music at Elon University. I am also a gigging musician with lots of real world experience in most contemporary styles as well as world music. For me that includes congas, djembe, dun-dun, dumbek, various frame drums and singing. If you are a vocalist, I can help you too. I ran a studio in Nashville, TN and produced dozens of vocal sessions for records and demos. As a producer, I have produced over 15 albums. I also play many different instruments and arrange songs and compositions. Let me know if you're trying to do a record and I will do a consultation session for you.

So, the odds are - I can help you be a better musician, no matter what you want to study. If you are already an artist or have a band, I can help you make that record with great production.

What can't I do? Bungee jumping, Mountain climbing, Cave diving or Bull Riding is in the list. Hopefully though, I can help you reach your goal as a musician. Give me a call to set your lesson today.

Peace and Blessings - JIM
919-259-1956 C

Kalimba Studio Relocated - A new life in Chapel Hill, NC

2007-11-06T19:27:00.000-08:00

Please excuse the long absence to this blog. I promise to try to be more regular in the future. Since November of 2006, I have relocated the studio to Chapel Hill, NC. Here I have set up a small production "Kalimba" room where I compose, mix, do overdubs and rehearse. Even though I don't have the "big room" as in Nashville, I have a great space for getting music recorded and put out. I have all my mikes, preamps, percussion, marimba, keyboard and midi setup (Ableton Live, Nuendo, etc). I am also able to record percussion on your project no matter where you live! Its easy. Just send an MP3 to me with a rough mix of your track. I will do the percussion and FTP the rendered files back to you (wav or aiff 24 wave files). I've even done a session with someone from South Africa - no problem!

New things are happening in my life. I am actually touring more now that I am out of Nashville. In the past year and a half, I've done gigs in Michigan, California, Florida, DC, Philly, Maine, New York, Virginia and more. Many of these are contra dance weekends and tours. So I can travel wherever your gig is at.

I have also been doing music editing work for Top Talent Media and Epic Soul of Nashville. I helped convert his entire music library to usable bits of media. I also composed percussion tracks for TV which are available at Sonic Librarian in LA.

Most recently, I have started teaching percussion at Elon University near Burlington, NC.I have 15 students. Their studies include marimba, timpani, snare drum, multi-percussion, and djembe. I also have private students outside of the school. For the winter term (January), I will be teaching a class 5 days a week called: Woodstock, Hippies and other Enduring Legacies: The Music of the 60's and 70's. Everything from the Beatles to the Police.

In the spring term I will be teaching a world music ensemble in addition to private students. It will be a 4 semester hour course.

From Oct 3-10, I was involved in a Jose Rivera play called, Marisol. It involved creating an improvised score using percussion, keyboards and voice. I also used a Roland Handsonic, a Roland SPD sampler and a Boss RC-50 loop station. It was a great experience as the play lent itself to dynamic and dramatic soundscapes.

In addition to adding more teaching as of late, I began teaching a Beginning Hand Drum Techniques class at the Music Explorium in Durham, NC. It is a 6 week class, once a week and there are 12 students. I will continue teaching classes starting in January. Contact the Music Explorium in Durham for more information.
www.musicexplorium.com

You can now sign up for my myspace page if you like. It is www.myspace.com/jimrobertspercussion
Thanks for dropping by and do send me a line!
jim@jimrobertspercussion.com

"PAPARAZZI" Nominated for 2006 "Just Plain Folks Music Awards"!

2006-09-19T13:13:00.000-07:00

2006 Just Plain Folks Music Awards Nominations

The Just Plain Folks Music Organization has officially announced the nominees for its 2006 Just Plain Folks Music Awards. After receiving over 25,500 albums and 350,000 songs from 105 countries, Nominations for Best Song in 67 Genres and Best Album in 81 categories have been posted. In addition, we have posted this year's Lyric and Video Nominees. All nominations are posted on the Just Plain Folks website found at www.JPFolks.com. The winners will be announced at the Just Plain Folks Music Awards Show on November 4th, 2006 in Santa Ana, CA at the Galaxy Theater.

World Song Nominee:
Paparazzi by Jim Roberts on ANCIENT HAND Tranze is the Danze Trk-6 TN

Purchase at:
http://cdbaby.com/cd/ancienthand

Fall Schedule and Beyond

2006-08-08T11:11:00.000-07:00

August 12 - 13 Elkin Brown (Kalimba Studio)
August 14 - 24 Cady Finlayson (Kalimba Studio)
August 26 FunkFest Indiana (Victor Wooten Festival)
September 29 Footloose TCD Dance Chapel Hill, NC
September 30 Footloose Shepherdstown, W.VA
October Baltimore Rhythm Festival TBA
October 1 Footloose Glen Echo, Maryland
October 26 Footloose Old Farmers Ball, Swannanoa, NC
October 27 Footloose Atlanta, GA
October 28 Footloose Monster Mash Table Rock, SC
October 28 Footloose Evening Dance Table Rock, SC

January 26-28 Footloose Snow Ball, Tampa FL
March 29 Footloose Old Farmers Ball, Swannanoa, NC
March 30-April 1 Footloose Chattanooga, TN
April 2 Footloose Knoxville, TN
April 27-29 Footloose Spring Dance Romance, Hanging Rock, NC

ADF/American Dance and Music/Footloose Tour

2006-08-08T10:56:00.000-07:00

American Dance Festival
For 3 weeks in June, I was located in Durham, NC as an accompanist for the dance festival. This festival lasts for a total of 6 weeks and is a combination of dance classes during the day by renown national and international dancers. In the evening, concerts were presented, two different troupes a week. Some of the companies included in the first three weeks were Paul Taylor, David Dorfman, Pilobolus, and Rhythm Suites: Kathak and Tap Dance featuring Pandit Chitresh Das and tap star Jason Samuels. In the last 70 years the festival premiered more than 570 dance works, many of them landmark dances commissioned by the ADF. Today, they are continuing their tradition of discovering, commissioning, and bringing recognition to many of moderns dance's finest talents. It was a great honor for me to join the facility for the first half of the season.

My job was primarily to accompany the classes during the day. There are 10 or so accompanists and our classes rotate weekly, varying between 2 and 3, two hour classes per day. I accompanied for David Dorfman, Lisa Race, Ursala Pane (formally of the Urban Bush Women), Keith Thompson, Ming-Lung Yang and Tatiana Baganova (Provincial Dances Theatre [Russia]). I also taught a one time music class for dancers on counting and breaks in dance. It was a rewarding and challenging experience and pressed me to come up with a barrage of musical ideas to keep the classes flowing. This was invigorating to me and I enjoyed the challenge. Starting in the third week, most classes were in the fairly repressive Durham heat. A good incentive to work hard and sweat a lot!

One highlight included Musicians Concert (June 21), the only event with no dance. Personally, this was a high point for me. I was able to premier a piece called "Gift", a tribute to Martha Graham, one the originators of ADF in 1936 in Bennington, VT. Her famous quote, "There is a vitality, a quickening, a life-force…"served as the inspiration for the piece and now one the pieces to add to a solo percussion show that I have been working toward. I used the quote as a speech, multi music media piece. It went over quite well and I now just have to continue tweaking it for future performances. I also performed in a Cuban ensemble with Vladimir Espinosa. This was a mix of traditional religious music and secular folkloric pieces. Also, in this ensemble an old friend, Bradley Simmons and an ex-student, Justin Hill. Next came the ensemble with Khalid Saleem. Another reunion of old drumming buddies and great time as we played a rhythm called DunDunBa. What a highlight for the summer. We closed the night with a jam with John Hanks, group with Willie Painter, Greg Dittmar and ADF musician, Jefferson Dalby. A good time was had by all, especially when the ADF students started break dancing in the middle of Baldwin Auditorium.

Another highlight included performing in the concert honoring Chuck Davis, the receipt of the 2006 The Balasaraswati/Joy Ann Dewy Beinecke Endowed Chair for Distinguished Teaching. This Chair pays tribute to teachers who have shaped and preserved modern dance across generations. During the early 1990's, I was performed with Chuck Davis African - American Dance Ensemble under the music direction of my teacher, Khalid Saleem. It was of great honor and pleasure to reunite with my old teacher and play traditional West African music again with Chuck and many of the former members of AADE. After living in Nashville for 10 years, I can't adequately describe feeling of joy and love during these moments. I am certainly a blessed man and I remember why I signed up for this crazy life as a musician - for moments like these.

Footloose Tour/American Dance and Music Week
The reason that I didn't spend the entire season at the ADF was my gigs with the Chapel Hill band, Footloose. On July 1st, I flew CA and started working the first week for American Dance and Music Week which is organized by the Bay Area Country Dance Society. It was located at the Mendocino Woodlands in the coastal Redwoods of Northern California. Besides Footloose, the other musicians included KGB, Mary Lea and Jim Oakden. It was also a real pleasure to work with caller, George Marshall of Wild Asparagus, Cis Hinkle and renowned dance historian, Richard Powers.

This state park was an incredible divergence from the NC heat. It was so beautiful there and the folks that put it on are real jewels. It was a great week of music, contra dancing and just plain fun. This crowd loved to laugh and create interesting pastimes. I taught a drum class for the week to a very enthusiastic group of students. On my night off, went into Mendocino and witnessed one of the most gorgeous sunsets I have ever seen off the cliffs over the Pacific. The colors just lingered and lingered on for what seemed forever. Then a fine outdoor meal of Pacific Halibut and California wine. Wow, what a week.

On Saturday, July 8, we left the camp to begin our tour of contra dances and house concerts. The tour included Palo Alto, Monterey, Santa Cruz, Los Angeles, and San Diego. We say some old friends, made new ones and the band seemed to be a hit everywhere we played. Footloose is a 4 piece band made up of my old friend, David DiGiuseppe, on accordion, John Davidson, a Scottish fiddler that I discovered on a bulletin board in a Nashville coffee shop, and Pete Campbell, a pianist the I have known and played with for many years. For this gig, I am playing a box called a Cajon which serves the function of a drum set for acoustic situations. It works well for this set-up and I add things like Djembe, Congas, Snare, Cymbals and various percussion instruments. It's also a easy set up that works well for airplane dates. I rent the bigger stuff if needed and carry the basic gear.

Several tour highlights - concerts in a club in Pasadena and in Santa Cruz offered a chance to do some additional songs and other non contra dance music. This band has really started to jell and is coming into it's own. It was a pleasure to be able to feature the Cajon as an artful instrument and to explore the rhythmic and tonal aspects of it.

In addition, the food in CA was amazing. Such fresh fruit and vegetables. I felt very healthy after the trip was over.

The last night we played in Santa Barber. It was an incredible hall that you could adjust the amount of tension in the floor! Also, afterwards, we stayed in a house on the top of the hills overlooking Santa Barber and the site was breathtaking. You could see the ocean as well as all of Santa Barber lit you below. On the drive on the windy road up, we passed Oprah's CA house but of didn't have time to stop and say hello - ha. California is an amazing place and I really love it every time I get to visit.

Summer Schedule 2006

2006-05-08T08:36:00.000-07:00

May 25 - 29, Private Party

June 8-30, American Dance Festival, Durham, NC
Accompanist in residence.
http://www.americandancefestival.org/

June 16, Melanie, The Cutting Room, NY
http://www.thecuttingroomnyc.com/
19 W.24th Street, New York City, (212) 691-1900

June 17 Melanie, The Cutting Room, NY
http://www.thecuttingroomnyc.com/
19 W.24th Street, New York City, (212) 691-1900

July 1-7, FootLoose. BACDS American Dance and Music Week,
Medocino, CA
http://www.bacds.org/camps/amweek2006/

July 8, FootLoose, Contra dance, Bay Area Country Dance Society, First United Methodist Church, Palo Alto, CA
http://www.bacds.org/series/contra/palo_alto/

July 9, FootLoose. Contra dance, Monterey Country Dance Community, YMCA, Monterey, CA
http://www.geocities.com/montereycdc/

July 12, FootLoose. House Concert, Santa Cruz, CA

July 13, FootLoose. Concert, Coffee Gallery Backstage, 2029 N. Lake, Altadena, Ca. 626-398-7917
http://www.coffeegallery.com/home.html

July 14, FootLoose. Contra dance, San Diego Folk Heritage, Trinity United Methodist Church, San Diego, CA
http://www-rohan.sdsu.edu/%7Esbarlow/sdfh.html

July 15, FootLoose. Contra dance, California Dance Cooperative, Throop Memorial Church, Pasadena, CA
http://southpasadenacontra.org/cgi/schedule.htm

July 16, FootLoose. Contra dance, Santa Barbara Country Dance Society, Carrillo Ballroom, Santa Barbara, CA
http://www.sbcds.org/contradance/schedule/

Return July 17 to North Carolina

July 24-30 Vacation

August 7-15, Kalimba Studio, Nashville, TN. CD recording project with Cady Finlayson

Folk Alliance Conference, Austin TX

2006-03-10T20:16:00.000-08:00

From February 10-13, I made the trek to Austin for the annual Folk Alliance conference. It was amazing time indeed - artists from all over the world come to the event. My own official playing duties were light. I played with Cady Finlayson, an Irish fiddle player from New York for an unofficial showcase. I also played with Jon Vezner in another small showcase which was a lot of fun. However, the most fun playing was the after, after party, playing with the fiddle players of Blazing Fiddles and other musicians from Scotland. I think this was the highlight for me!

The Folk Alliance is an amazing organization that brings together people from all over the globe to share and experience each others music. I am moved by the magnitude and diversity as well as the quality of music that I hear at their events. The definition of folk is wide and inclusive and they try hard to represent the best of what is happening today.

The conference was also a new first for me. I had a booth for Kalimba Studio. I presented a power point presentation of the studio and various sessions and folks.
It was really a good way to meet new people and I'm delighted that I was able to do it. I also included 2000 Kalimba Studio postcards in every Folk Alliance Packet. Guerilla marketing at its best.

A few jewels - Madrigaia (http://www.madrigaia.com/) was certainly the discovery of the conference for me. I consider them the Canadian "Sweet Honey and the Rock". They are seven women that all grew up together. They sing songs from all over the world from Hebrew to French/Canadian, Brazilian to Cuban, Gospel and many others. There voices are certainly in the angelic category and they are accompanied by one, sometimes two percussionists. They also play sticks and various instruments as well as move in their show.

Also, I enjoyed Blazing Fiddles from Scotland, with my friend, Andy Thornburg on the keys. He surprised me by calling out of the blue Saturday morning to tell me he was in the states. Other favorites where the Duhks, the FA band of the year, Tiller's Folly and Le Vent Du Nord among many.

You can visit them on my space at http://www.myspace.com/thefolkalliance. Don't miss it next year in Memphis.

KALIMBA STUDIO records FUTUREMAN project and new artist, ALANA RAE

2006-01-08T18:53:00.000-08:00

FUTUREMAN of Grammy award winning group, Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, continued recording part of his orchestral series, THE AMERICAN and SECRET KINGS at Kalimba Studio in the December. This piece honors one of classical music's greatest and forgotten talents from the 18th century, Le Chevalier de Saint-George, termed the "BLACK MOZART". This epic work consists of 2 multi-media works of 8 and 6 movements respectively. Futureman conducted an octet reading of most of the pieces by area professionals and string majors. He also recorded a 17 year old prodigy, bassist KEVIN JABBONSKI, a student from Rice University who was recommended by bassist, EDAR MYERS for the session. Kevin added solo bass and section parts for other mixed classical media works that also include rap, electronics and synthesis.

18 year old artist, ALANA RAE of Brentwood, TN did a song demo of her tune, "In My Hand" at Kalimba Studio in December. In the style of Michelle Branch/ Avail Lavigne, this was Alana first studio recording which was used for a song writing contest for 8 Williamson County Schools. Alana is a powerful, natural singer and an up-and-coming songwriter. It is the first collaboration by MICHAEL NELSON and JIM ROBERTS and it resulted in an additional 3 song collaboration/production deal starting in Jan of 2006.

Kalimba Studio welcomes new producer, MICHAEL J. NELSON

2005-11-28T11:33:00.000-08:00

It is my great pleasure to announce a new addition to Kalimba Studio,
writer-producer, MICHAEL J NELSON. Michael has a number of recent broadcast credits including promotional music for network shows like Law and Order, The West Wing, E-Ring, ER, American Idol and The Apprentice to name a few. His production style encompasses a cutting edge contemporary palette that used multiple synths, samples and acoustic production to create styles as diverse as orchestral music to hip hop. Besides his current broadcast credits, he regularly adds his talents to arranging, producing and even re-mixing tracks for songwriters, artists and publishers including Universal Music Publishing and BMG. He brings a highly competitive edge to Kalimba Studios which is now able to offer a cross platform Mac and PC base format.

Michael is also forming a production group that will be encompass a group of veteran composers, arrangers, orchestrators and producers featuring a multitude of experience and offerings. Initially, Kalimba Studio will serve as a base for this new operation.

Another facet from Michael's creative and marketing endeavors includes web development (HTML and Flash) from his company TOP TALENT MEDIA. Along with web-work, they've produced a EPKs and marketing plans for music-types and companies. If you want something custom with a unique look, they can create a site and promotional plan that reflect your personal tastes and style.

For more information on Michael, and to get just a glimpse of his work,
check out www.epicsoul.com

2005 The Year in Review

2005-11-22T13:51:00.000-08:00

Here is a run through of MUSICAL HIGHLIGHTS and activities for me and KALIMBA STUDIO from this year. It has been a satisfying year and as always, I'm honored to be able to play and hang with such great people and players!
** There are a few titles and names that I can't remember while I'm writing this out-of-town. I'll have them up when I get home and look them up~!

*Transferred and Remastered Two LP's: BIG AND BOB and THE PIPER ROAD SPRING BAND. JUNE 2005. This is the Bob Mason's Bluegrass band of over 25 years. These are being re-released as CD's.

*On the weekend of May 13-15, I played with Chapel Hill's FOOTLOOSE at the LEAF FESTIVAL in Black Mountain, NC. We played for 4 dances and had over 200 dancers for each dance. We shared the dances with THE GUILLES, from Scotland, a wonderful trio with highland pipes/tin whistle, fiddle and piano.

*I recorded a percussion part on "I've Forgotten You" on RHONDA VINCENT'S new release, LIVE. It was recorded at the Dog House in Nashville, engineered by Neal Cappellino. Unfortunately, there are no credits for the few studio musicians used on this cd.

*Recorded and Produced a 2 song demo for PAT LAKOTTA, a writer from Maryland that I met at Paul Reisler's song writing intensive camp. The song, "Window Shopping, is a funny story about a lady looking for love, trying it on, and returning it.

*Vanderbilt professor, DR. GREG BARZ has mastered a cd for his book, SINGING FOR LIFE HIV/AIDS and the MUSIC OF UGANDA. I mastered it in a new program called "PEAK". It consists of field recordings that he made while in Kenya. The cd is an accompaniment to his book. This was done in June, 2005.
http://www.routledge-ny.com/shopping_cart/products/product_detail.asp?sku=&isbn=0415972906&parent_id=&pc=

*BOB MASON and RANDY VINCENT have recorded 4 different song pitches at Kalimba since the summer. The first two were called On Behalf of You and Moon Tower. Previously in October, they recorded, End of the Sky and Dancing Up a Storm. These were song pitches for Blake Shelton and Montgomery Gentry.

*On September 17, I played with GABRIELLE MAREN, a bluegrass artist produced by BOB MASON and RANDY VINCENT at the French Quarter cafe in Nashville. In the past year, I have recorded 6 songs for Abby and currently they are being pitched to JOHN DORIS and RICKY SCAGGS for a possible artist development deal. Her songs were written by Randy and Bob and include, Thinking Like a Mountain, Agnes Coats, Faith is Blind and Winter Dreams.

*Acoustic trio, THE FIELDS, lead by Scottish fiddler, JOHN DAVIDSON, recorded a 4 song demo live in Kalimba Studio in October. The trio consists of fiddle, vocal/guitar and upright bass. This is a unique sounding group with a vocalist in the style of John Mayer. I really dug'um! John also plays with Nashville artist, Shelly Williams.

*The former voice of the HISTORY CHANNEL, HARLAN RECTOR, recorded vocal and choir tracks for the continuation of his Christian release, AM. The project is being produced by RICK TELLARI.

*Jazz harmonica player, PHIL GAZELLE, recorded bass, drum, scratch guitar and scratch harmonica tracks for his new release, Swinging Easy, Hitting Hard. The players were drummer, CHRIS BROWN, bassist, ROGER SPENCE, guitarist, ANDY RESSE and Phil. The session went down live with no overdubs. This is Phil's first cd in almost 30 years and boy is it a treat. He plays jazz standards with a diatonic harp - in others words he plays notes that don't exist naturally on his instrument.

*On January 24 and 25th, I recorded percussion for Seattle artist, LEVI WARE. The sessions took place at the famed, CASTLE STUDIO, noted for being the former hideout for gangster, AL CAPONE. The session was produced and engineered by NEAL CAPPELLINO. The music was contemporary songwriter pop. This SSL room is a joy to record in and some photos are located on the My Life page on this site.

On September 9 and 10, I did a mini tour with FOOTLOOSE. We did contra dances in Lexington and Cincinnati respectively.

*On the weekend of April 29-30, I went as a guest to BETH NIELSEN CHAPMAN'S first annual SONGWRITING WORKSHOP at Vanderbilt's Dyer Observatory near Radnor Lake in Nashville. She had PAUL REISLER, JULIE PORTMAN (PERFORMANCE, THEATER TEACHER AND ARTIST) and herself. I highly recommend this event to any aspiring songwriter! Her method is gentle and direct and she imparts a great deal of information. Look for her upcoming cd, WORLD HYMNS. It will contain her performance of "Yemaya" from my cd, Ancient Hand. I'm really excited about this one! Beth's site is http://bethnielsenchapman.com/
This song is available through itunes or the cd is at www.CDBABY.com

*I attended PAUL REISLER'S SONGWRITING INTENSIVE from July 11-16. For more information see the previous listing in this blog on the camp. This event is HIGHLY recommended for any aspiring songwriter.

*On March 15, a memorial gathering was held for Irish musician, HUNTER LEE at the Sherlock Holms pub in Nashville. Through an article written by JACK SILVERMAN of the NASHVILLE SCENE, Hunter's brother was located and came down from Missouri to attend. Hunter recorded on three different projects at KALIMBA STUDIO, SECRET COMMONWEATH, Uninvited Guests, CADY'S FINLAYSON'S, Shines Like Silver and FUTUREMAN'S, The Seamless Script. He died while living in New Orleans in July of 2003. A short film was shown by independent film maker, JEFF WILSON who had accumulated footage on him while shooting a film that Hunter was going to play the lead in.

*SHANE THERIOT and I recorded our annual Christmas track to be released. Last year we recorded "What Child is This" and "Deck the Halls" as a percussion and guitar duet. We made cd's and sent them out with our Christmas cards. Since that in itself was so labor intensive, this year, I will be posting our Christmas Gift here for a free download, hopefully in time for Christmas!
If you just can't wait, What Child is This" from last year is available under free downloads in the media section.

*FUTUREMAN of the Flecktones has been working at Kalimba this month (November) preparing his new epic orchestral piece, "The Americans" and "Secret Kings". I have recorded some percussion parts to used including some marimba parts. He'll be back in December to record a bass parts from a new young talent coming down from Indiana. I do not yet know his name.

*In late October, I participated in a KID PAN ALLEY teaching day with PAUL REISLER. I went with a handful of other musicians and Paul and helped compose a new song with the kids in several elementary schools in Nashville. Each musician got to demonstrate their instruments to the kids. This is a really wonderful organization that Paul has started with great success and I urge you to check it out and see if you can Paul at your school!
http://www.paulreisler.com/

Footloose CD, "TRIP TO THE MOON" is Released

2005-10-28T07:40:00.000-07:00

The Chapel Hill based group, FOOTLOOSE, released "Trip to the Moon" in September, 2005. I recorded and mixed the cd at Kalimba Studio, here in Nashville. Produced by David DiGiuseppe and myself, it is the follow up cd to the 2004 release, "Everdance" and their first cd with a major drumming presence since the 1989 release, "Footloose". "Trip to the Moon" is quoted as "featuring dance tunes with powerful, drum-laden grooves." The drums and percussion were done alone in separate sessions, where I acted as both player and engineer.

Footloose plays primarily for New England style contra dances, which are like square dances but done in long lines down the hall instead of big squares. In the contra world, Footloose is known for tight arrangements, and unique orchestration. This record consist of fiddle/banjo (Rex McGee), accordion/cittern (David DiGiuseppe), clarinet/soprano sax (Dean Herington), piano/bass/accordion (Pete Campbell) and percussion (Jim Roberts).

As PERCUSSION goes, this cd was a chance to really stretch out by using a lot of colors to support the interesting textures that Footloose is typically known for. In addition to drum set, I also played, djembe, congas, bodhran, shekere, sleigh bells, dumbek, bongo, panderio, tamborim, surdo, triangle, bells, thunder drum (spring drum), rik, caxixi, castanets, and cowbell.

The band typically covers a gamut of musical styles, but in this cd some notable additions have been made to the repertoire. One unusual style was a Brazilian Choro, "A Bicada do Tico Tico", where I used a straight Brazilian treatment with panderio, tamborim, and surdo. We also did some unusual things. In "Carpathian Tune," I played on Rex's banjo with chop sticks (noted as banjosticks) while Rex changed the bar chords on the frets. This was to simulate a Eastern European dulcimer instrument known as a "cymbalon." Becky's Lesnto" uses middle eastern dumbek and rik with drum set, maracas, shaker and a Brazilian woven shaker known as a caxixi (ca-she-she). It is followed by Ćoćek, a tune of Macedonian influence. Thus, I was able to use some traditional as well as non-traditional treatments in Dean's "snake charmer" feature. "Le Vin" is a Tango waltz with Choro harmony (written by David) and I used castanets to compliment that tune. The title track set, "Trip to the Moon" is a swing set so I used a more traditional drum set treatment. One of the more ambitious sets was the Irish oriented, "Bundle and Go/Palamara/Paddy Fahy's Reel." Because this music is rhythmic as it melodic, it gave me a chance to stretch out and create a large array of rhythm instruments which included drum set with dumbek, congas, and shakers. Another Irish tune, "Maid Behind the Barrel", I did an unusual treatment by playing the Irish bodhran with brushes. We brought out the sub-frequencies of the drum while at the same time having a nice subtle high end attack with the brushes hitting the head. "Ragtime Annie" is a straight ahead bluegrass tune which I used a West African Djembe. This was reminiscent of the treatment of a CD that I did with the Horse Flies ("Two Traditions") using ethnic percussion with old-time tunes. In the dark, old Kentucky tune "Johnny Court the Widow" (which David and I first played together when we first met in the 1980's), I played sustained chords on a marimba. To add to the vibe, I used a spring drum (listed as a thunder drum) which emulates thunder and darkness. In this piece, I also used a Roland Handsonic, for some outer earthly sounds, along with rainstick and other HTS (High Tinkly Stuff). The original fiddle version was tuned to an alternative modal tuning which gave it its foreboding atmosphere, thus the treatment. Notably missing from this cd is tunes in the French-Canadian style, which the band is also noted for.

I first recorded with Footloose in 1989 and I did some touring with them with percussion and drum set. It was a very early use of percussion in the contra dance world and looked upon by some as sacrilege. Sometimes I would show up to a dance with a drum set and the sponsor of the dance would look at me in horror! Today, I'm happy to say that many groups use percussion and along with the Clayfoot Strutters and others, we helped bring about a change in attitude. Time has proven that dancers really like the addition of drums as it really kicks them into high gear. This CD is my answer to the critics who want to keep music from processing in new and creative ways in the name of tradition. After all these years, I'm really happy to have this as an example of "YES!, This can work!". That is what this cd means to me personally. Playing percussion and drums is an art form and should be used where and when the music calls for it."

I hope you purchase and enjoy this CD. It was a true labor of love for those involved and it was an honor to be involved with such wonderful people and musicians.

http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/footloosemusic

http://www.efolkmusic.org/ArtMusic/viewalbum.asp?ProductCode=52_7865&Artist=Footloose&AID=52#52_7865

Victor Wooten's Reunion Camp / F.U.N.K. Fest

2005-09-29T20:24:00.000-07:00

August ended in a flurry of musical activity. Flecktones' bassist, Victor Wooten held a reunion camp for his annual "Bass and Nature Camp" students at Montgomery Bell State Park, near Burn, TN. Victor has a far reaching concept of combining elements of nature with music since of course "music is natural" He brings in trackers and survivalists as well as renown bassests' such as Chuck Rainey and Bob Babbit (Did you see standing in the Shadows of Motown?). I've been honored and privileged to be able to attend and sit in on percussion during jam sessions and some the bass nights where every bass player gets to jam with a band. This camp featured a "groove class" and the bassists' played with a band that consisted of brothers Reggie and Joe Wooten, JB Blair, Howard Levy, and myself. It was a really fun night of various styles and personalities and everyone was made to feel important. This is a key theme that runs through all of Victor's camps and one which I personally love. Also, after each player finished, Victor, Steve Bailey, Chuck Rainey, Bob Babbit and Howard Levy all gave constructive comments on what they liked and how to better fit with the groove. In the age of soloist bass playing, some players go for the icing and forget the cake. Players concentrated on making solid foundations that supported the band. Playing with professionals and having comments was a tremendous opportunity for all. Players chose the tune they wanted to play and styles where quite diverse.

F. U. N. K. Fest (Friends of Nature and Knowledge - Aug 26-28) was held in Blue Buckle, IN and was the ending of the camp as well as being an exciting, new concept for music festivals. It was held on a festival site made famous by Bill Monroe and was ready made for this type of event. This was the first festival that I have ever witnessed that attempted to combine music and nature activities on a broad scale. In addition to the a variety of artists that included the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Keller Williams, and Umphrey's McGee, participants could also go on a plant walk, learn about bio-fuel, do a blindfold rope walk and build a fire with a bow drill. Even in its first year, the festival helped create widespread awareness of our interdependence with nature and introduce many new musical talents as well.

My own experience included performing as a guest on Sunday with Roy "Futureman" Wooten of the Flecktones. The Futureman Project also includes Jeremiah Abel on keyboards and Robert Provine on guitar. Futureman combines elements of Americana in a web of poignant messages from sampled leaders and artists. He uses Miles Davis, rain forest, soul, gospel and atmospheric backdrop for virtuoso flurries. Roy has a way of combining and creating like few artists that I have seen or played with. It is exciting to witness and participate in his work as it continually unfolds. I'll try to review some of his past and future works at a later date.

After our show Sunday afternoon, we moved to the big stage to get ready for the all-star jam. Some of the campers participated as well as the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Victor Wooten, Anthony Wellington and others. Umphrey's McGee was to play immediately afterwards and thier percussionist graciously allowed me to use his set-up. It started out with Futureman playing a drum solo and after a few minutes, I joined him. Then more players and the jam was on. Finally, the Dirty Dozen came on stage it was a real hoot-in-anny. About midway thru, the stage lights went out but we kept blowing. Unfortunately, Hurricane Katrina hit New orleans later that night. Those guys were worried but seemed very happy to be that far north. Little did we know...

What a fun night. Then it was back to Nashville. A new type of festival has been born!

Great World Music Recordings

2005-08-26T21:20:00.000-07:00

Song camp participant, Lorraine Duisit visited here in Nashville from August 17-19. During that time, I was able to share some music that has inspired me over the years which she also seemed to like and appreciate. She suggested that I share it with rest of the group so here it is. I hope that you find it as compelling as I have over the years.

Ballaké/Sissoko "Déli"
From Francophone West Africa (Mali), this is a unique recording by my standards. The primary instruments featured are Kora and Balafon. This showcases excellent interplay between West African Kora master Ballaké Sissoko and Aboubacar Dembélé, The production took place in a relaxed atmosphere, like a jazz session or Cuban descarga. They sometimes combined Mississppi blues with griotic Kora and Balafon tradition in a way that I have never heard before, even though there is a clear relationship between these traditions. I stumbled on to this recording by accident in a drum shop somewhere and I'm still loving it. The cover is printed in French with English translations and is on Label Bleu/Indigo.

Another favorite from Mali is by Oumou Sangare called "Ko Sira" (Road to the River). I heard it on NPR and it still effects me today as it did then. Her vocals are translucent, like filtered light. It is a hypnotic experience along with fine production from noted world music producer, Nick Gold and percussionist, Massambou Wele Diallo. This disc also features master musicians from West Africa, It uses tradition as a launching pad for modern day interpretations. Please get this disc! You won't regret it. (World Circuit/Nonesuch)

The next three discs are from Peter Gabriels' Real World label. Always featuring talented musicians that the world wouldn't hear otherwise, these artists are no exception. Kenyan singer, Ayub Ogada delivers a haunting vocal delivery accompanied mostly by an East African harp called a Nyatiti. "En Mana Kuoyo" was Ayub's first recoding with Real World in 1993 and remains one of the quintessential records of Luo artists.

Hukwe Zawose passed away over a year ago but the disc "Chibite" will always be considered a unique and riveting recording. He is accompanied by his nephew, Charles Zawose, whom he raised. They perform as duet on a traditional Tanzanian instrument called a Illimba (thumb piano) as well as traditional violins and flutes (called Filimbi). The rhythmic pulse is accented with Nguga (ankle bells). It was the Illimba that first draws you in. When I saw them at the WOMAD Festival in Seattle some years back, I was transformed on the spot to a magical place that has never quite left me. The hypnotic nature of these instruments combined with the unearthly vocal style of Hukwe presents a authentic and ancient African listening experience that is unique as it is pleasurable. Almost outer worldly. Check it out.

If you are in for a pure vocal experience, don't miss Tibetian singer, Yungchen Lhamo. Her recording, "Coming Home", is a lot like living in a dream state. Produced by Hector Zazou, the accompaniment is sparse and reflective. Every note, both sung and played, is there for a reason. This cd is dedicated to the the Dalai Lama. The title track is sung as a mantra, which is written on the disc so that your cd becomes a pray wheel. They are meant to generate loving compassion. I only hope that listening to it rubs off on me as well.

Last but certainly not least, is a different type of disc that has far reaches from the patterns of Africa. It is Steve Reich, "Music for 18 Musicians". As a player, my true love is working with color and texture in music. It doesn't get any better than "18"! This monumental piece (67'42'') was written in 1976 and builds the music around patterns of voices, keyboard percussion, clarinets, violin, cello, piano and maracas. The harmony produced is particularly overwhelming, certainly with a quality that I could best describe as a drop of music you might hear in a heavenly choir if you believe in that sort of thing. It is inspired by the 13th century Parisian master, Pérotin. It is also reminicent of Indonesian Gamelan music and has definite patterns transformations built on various African claves or foundations. If you love texture, you have to own this disc! (Nonesuch)

Song Camp Intensive Review

2005-07-21T23:27:00.000-07:00

Paul Reisler and Julie Portman's Song Camp Intensive was more impressive than I ever could have imagined! The quality of writing as well as the quality of people was extremely high, especially for the wide range of styles that were demonstrated.
Personally, I was able to learn some new writing technics as well as accompany most of the 25 participants. This was a heck of a lot of fun! At the end of every day, everyone gathered in a circle in the "music barn" so to speak and present something
original to the group. As a percussionist, this was a great exercise. It forced me to pull a lot of different tricks out of the hat. One had to be an entertainer as well as a composer or writer. With having played no less than 7 or 8 'solo" presentations, it served as fertile ground for developing a solo percussion show. As some of you know, I have been in the process of trying to get that idea in action for a while. The camp made me realize that I could do a real stripped down version, with a hand full of
instruments and come up with a lot of creative ideas. This is very exciting to me! To Paul's credit, everyone was encouraged to create to their fullest potential. I have never seen such as diverse group that was as supportive of each other in the way that this group was. We even did a concert at the end presenting our best origianl material. I highly reccommend this camp to anyone remotely interested in writing. You can't go wrong and I'm sure you will have the experience of a lifetime as I did. Paul and Julie are world class teachers and performers. John McCutchin was also a guest for one afternoon. Another great experience.

The camp also offered me a chance to do some teaching as well. Paul and I did a rhythm workshop one afternoon. Again, this forced me to pull out some old things out of the hat. I also got a chance to teach a "mini" class. I taught on another of my passions, "goal setting, motivation and Napoleon Hill. Soon there will some information on the site about Mr. Hill. His book, "Think and Grow Rich" helped me change my life in a very positive direction. I was very grateful for both of these teaching experiences. I will have more on Napoleon Hill on this site very soon - stay tuned and visit often. I will return the first week in August after a much needed rest.
Peace - JIM

Welcome/Song Writing Camp

2005-07-07T21:03:00.000-07:00

Greetings everyone! Thanks for stopping by. Jan Pulsford has been creating this beautiful web site for me this week and I love it! I hope you find your way around easily. There are free downloads, pics, information and PDF bios/disc. Feel free to contact me or leave a message here if you're not in a hurry. I'll get back to you ASAP!

I'm leaving for a late 4th celebration in the beautiful VA mountains the weekend of July 9-11 and then on to Paul Reisler's songwriting camp for the week. I will teach some rhythm to writers with Paul. But mostly, I'll be learning more song writing skills. It helps make me a better producer as well as a song writer. I will be back on the 18th of July.

I'm looking forward to hearing from you soon. More pics, and production info to follow.

I leave you with this:
"The quieter you become, the more you can hear." Baba Ram Das

2005-07-06T13:25:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Jimdrum!