Marshall University

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Publication Date

2-4-2006

Year of Release

2006

Note(s)

Featuring Artist/Clinicians:

Lalo Davila

James Feist

David Gross

Guest Artist/Clinician Biographies

Lalo Davila is currently Director of Percussion Studies at Middle Tennessee State University. Lalo received his Bachelor of Music degree from Corpus Christi State University and a Master of Music degree from the University of North Texas.

Originally from Corpus Christi, Lalo has extensive experience both as an educator and performer. Lalo was named Nashville's Top Five 1998 Percussionist of the Year Award. Lalo spent three years (1984-1986) performing and instructing with University of North Texas Percussive Arts Society Championship Drum Line and has served as an instructor for the Phantom Regiment and the Star of Indiana Drum and Bugle Corps. Lalo has toured with many artists including the "Take 6" Summer 1996 tour of Japan. Other performances include; the Corpus Christi Symphony Orchestra, the Nashville Symphony, Six Pence and None The Richer, Clay Walker, Vickie Carr, Sherry Lewis, The Panhandlers Steel Band and Max Carl and the Big Dance. Mr. Davila has recently performed percussion and lead vocals for the American Bible Society CD project and can also be heard on Kirk Whalum's Grammy-nominated CD. Currently, Lalo performs with several Latin groups including "Orkesta Eme Pe".

Known as an outstanding clinician and adjudicator, Lalo has conducted clinics throughout the United States, Mexico, Cuba, and Japan. Lalo is the author of Contemporary Rudimental Studies and Solos. Lalo is an active clinician/performer for the Pearl Corporation, Row-Loff Productions, Avedis Zildjian Co., Innovative Percussion, and EVANS Drumheads.

James Feist began his percussion journey at the age of 10 (1978) with his first drum set. He then went on to study jazz drumming with Art Gore (George Benson, J.J. Johnson) and played many gigs as a fusion/jazz drummer for many years. In 1990 his world was turned upside down when he began his tabla study. He immediately ceased learning all other percussion instruments to exclusively study the wonderful art of table drumming. Since 1990 he has been consumed by this art form so much so that he has traveled to India several times to learn tabla from the late, legendary Ustad Allah Rakha, and Pandit Vibhav Nageshkar. Jim is currently under the tutelage ofUstad Allah Rakha's celebrated disciple, Yogesh Samsi. While being grounded in the Ustad Allah Rakha "Punjab" style of tabla, he has learned with senior players from other schools as well.

Jim has been recorded on albums by composer Kanniks Kannikeswaran for two India releases, and the group he co-founded Mohenjo Daro ("Baksheesh" on Tandem Records and ''Rajdhani Express" also on Tandem records), and a host of other albums by a variety of artists. In 2003 and 2004, Mohenjo Daro won back to back "Cincinnati Entertainment Awards" for "Best World Band". Jim also composed the music and performed all the percussion on his debut solo disc Indus Red. He has also performed in many shows around the mid-west put on by Kanniks Kannikeswaran. (Indian Classical music "teacher at the Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music) As a composer, he has made the music for the documentary "Made in India?". He has performed with Ashiq Khan in Rajasthan India, with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra on several occasions, and at the Montreal Jazz-Festival twice (2002 and 2005) with Mohenjo Daro. He has recently completed a mid-west tour with the great Ghazal singer Prasad Kumar. His playing whether in instrumental accompaniment, dance accompaniment, vocal accompaniment or tabla solo, is marked by exceptional tone quality, precision, tradition and impressive "padhant" (the speaking of tabla rhythms) As a teacher Jim draws from his vast knowledge of many tabla schools and his intensive 16 years of training to give his students a firm grounding in the art form. He has over 2 dozen dedicated students in the Cincinnati area alone and holds two celebrated table concerts a year for his top students. He also holds classes, clinics, and workshops at grade schools, high schools, and colleges in many areas around the mid-west. He has also presented lec/dem's at the "Rhythm's of the World festival at the Harbourfront Centre in Toronto, at the "Niagara Folk Festival" in Canada, and at the "Drummondville World Music Festival" in Quebec. Jim shares his time between his home in Pune, India and also at his home in Cincinnati, Ohio.

David Gross has been pri11Cipal timpanist of the Grand Rapids Symphony since 1982. Mr. Gross has served as Principal Timpanist and head of the Percussion Section of the Pine Mountain Music Festival Prior to coming to Grand Rapids, he was Principal Timpanist with ·the Kansas City Philharmonic. He has also been principal timpanist of the Colorado Music Festival and has appeared as timpanist with such orchestras as the Detroit Symphony, Milwaukee Symphony, Indianapolis Symphony and the Columbus Symphony. Mr. Gross bas also performed with the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Philadelphia Opera Company, and the Concerto Soloists of Philadelphia.

Mr. Gross has appeared as soloist with the Grand Rapids Symphony and the Kansas City Philharmonic. David has worked with such conductors as, Claudio Abbado, Andreas Delfs, Raymond Leppard, James Levine, Zubin Mehta, Riccardo Muti, Eugene Ormandy, Seiji Ozawa, Leonard Slatkin and Yuri Temirkanov.

Mr. Gross is adjunct Professor of Percussion at Grand Valley State University and has held faculty positions at the University of Missouri - Kansas City, University of Delaware and Michigan State University.

Mr. Gross is presently on the Board of Directors of the Michigan Percussive Arts Society. He is an Artist Representative for Adams Percussion, Evans Drumheads and Sabian Cymbals presenting clinics and Master Classes throughout the Mid-West David has designed a signature series of timpani mallets for Black Swamp Percussion. These mallets are available at all Black Swamp dealers throughout the world.

A native of Buffalo, Mr. Gross attended the Curtis Institute of Music where he studied with Gerald Carlyss. His other major teachers included Michael Bookspan and John Rowland.

Become A Member of P .A.S.

If you are not already a member, please consider joining the Percussive Arts Society.

The Percussive Arts Society® (PAS®) is a music service organization promoting percussion education, research, performance and appreciation throughout the world The Percussive Arts Society is the world's largest percussion organization and is considered the central source for information and networking for percussionists and drummers of all ages. Established in 1961 as a non-profit, music service organization, its mission is to promote percussion education, research, performance and appreciation throughout the world. There are 48 state chapters located across the United States, and an additional 23 chapters outside the United States.

For more information about PAS membership and other activities visit the PAS web site at www.pas.org.

Note

Smith Music Hall

Disciplines

Arts and Humanities | Fine Arts | Music | Music Performance

Marshall University Music Department Presents The West Virginia Chapter, of the, Percussive Arts Society, In Association with the, Marshall University Student Chapter Percussive Arts Society, The West Virginia, Day of Percussion

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