Percussion Ensemble "Drums Up" a Storm in Most-Recent Performance

The ASU Music Department held a percussion ensemble on Thursday, Nov. 30 at 7 p.m. titled “Fiesta Latina.” It was performed in the Eldon Black Recital Hall of the Carr Building with free admission. The first five songs were percussion-only pieces while the final two included brass instruments as well. The concert was headed by Assistant Band Director Trent Shuey. 

The first song was “Log(an) Cabin Blues," a rag-time-styled piece by George Hamilton Green and arranged by Bob Becker. It had two marimbas with two players each and predominantly featured a main xylophone played by Logan Perry. The second song, “Flight of Virtuosity for Six Handclappers” by Greg Heinke was mostly comprised of body percussions such as clapping, chest-beating and foot-stomping. This preceded the song “Just Buckets” by Brian Justison which used buckets instead of drums. Each performer joined the stage and began playing one by one rather than immediately beginning altogether. Some players entered the piece with a quick solo on their drumsticks and there would continue to be brief pauses throughout the song for more solos. Partway through the song, the drummers stopped to sing out the title of the song in unison before proceeding. The fourth song, “Head Talk,” by Mark Ford, opened with all of the performers spinning drum heads on the floor followed by a quiet entry solo until each member could join in. Drumheads were featured throughout the song prominently. They would toss some around, hit one on their knees and even use them to strike their drums. There were also continuous intermissions for drum head solos. The song intentionally cuts off at the end with no warning. This song was then followed by “Stubernic,” another piece written by Ford. It started with three players performing on a single marimba in complete unison before splitting off into separate melodies until rejoining after some time. Performers also played on the sides of the marimba. A player would sometimes play with two pairs of mallets instead of just one whenever a solo would arise. 

The sixth song was “Latin #4,” by James Olcott with arrangement by Brass Director John Irish, where the brass ensemble joined in to play alongside the percussion. The piece opened with the percussion joining in one by one on all different instruments ranging from bongos to cowbells. This continued until a signal played for the brass section to come in all at once. Multiple solos occurred and even a duet before the intro to the song replayed at the end. This song also featured African and Brazilian drums such as the “recoreco.” The final song of the evening was “Fiesta Latina,” by Lalo Davila and also arranged by Irish. It was originally a piece with only percussion instruments in mind until Irish changed it to include brass instruments for this concert. The marimbas lead the piece followed by the other sections. Most instruments from previous songs came together here, in addition to a cello. Also featured were pauses for marimba solos before all sections united for the rest of the piece. 

Upcoming music events include a performance by Mariachi Los Pastores on Dec. 5 in the  C.J. Davidson Conference Center at 7 p.m. and “Big Bands Concert: Have a Swingin’ Christmas” held at the Brooks and Bates Theatre on Dec. 6 at 7 p.m.