Preview: The University of Montana Percussion Ensemble and Islanders Steel Drum Band will perform at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 22, at the University Theater on the UM campus. Tickets are $6 general admission, $4 for students and seniors.
These are the kids with the very patient parents and very annoyed neighbors. These are the kids who endured being called "band-buddies" by all the jocks in high school, the kids who habitually and unconsciously tap out rhythms on their knees during their college English classes. These are the kids who aren't exactly kids anymore, unless they're talking amongst themselves about the coolest new jazz record or who recently bought a new drumset. Then, they sound like kids in a candy store.
These days, they don't get hassled by the jocks. Instead, they find themselves members of one of the school's hippest and most popular performing groups. Consisting of both music majors and nonmajors, the ensemble offers an opportunity for students to learn to play a range of musical styles on a variety of exotic instruments.
On Monday, the Percussion Ensemble will perform a concert that features everything from African and Japanese traditional drumming to modern jazz - plus, of course, plenty of Caribbean steel drum music, as has become the group's trademark under director (and UM professor of percussion) Bob Ledbetter.
"The great thing about the Percussion Ensemble is that students get to play all these different styles: it's as if they're in a salsa band, a jazz fusion band, and an African drum ensemble all at once," says Ledbetter.
"We get plenty of classical training here as well, so together with all the other stuff that students do, this gives them the full spectrum of music in the world."
With as many as 15 players performing on different instruments all at once, and with several disparate groupings of instruments involved in next week's concert, we thought it would be illuminating to take a look inside the workings of the UM Percussion Ensemble.
the BIG PICTURE
By Joe Nickellof the MissoulianIn this photo, the Percussion Ensemble rehearses "Afro," a piece by Cuban jazz clarinet giant Paquito D'Rivera (who will be a featured performer at next year's Buddy DeFranco Jazz Festival). Structured in several distinct sections, "Afro" highlights the melodic capabilities of several percussion instruments, including marimba, xylophone, vibraphone, orchestra bells, and steel drums. A backdrop of drums and electric bass propel the complex, syncopated rhythms of the piece.
So, first things first Š which is which?
The four instruments in the front row
(No. 1) are all marimbas. They feature rosewood keys suspended over metal resonating tubes, which help to amplify and add sustain to the tones of the keys.
The xylophone (2) is similar to the marimba, but is most easily distinguished by its shorter resonating tubes. The two instruments sound different as well: the xylophone features a sharp attack and bright tone, whereas the marimba boasts a warm, mellow tone.
Then there are the vibraphones (3), which consist of aluminum keys suspended over long resonating tubes. These keys are highly resonant, and thus the instrument also features a damping pedal that works much like the right-most pedal on a piano.
The orchestra bells (4) feature short, thick keys made of steel, which produce a bright, piercing sound when struck.
The steel drums (5) boast a mellow, slightly "tinny" sound that's more similar to that of the marimba than to the bells or vibraphones. Because these instruments are rather fragile and don't produce a great volume of sound, they are electronically amplified for this performance, to blend better with the other instruments.
The timpani (6) typically are not considered a melodic instrument; however, these tuned drums do get in on the melody early in "Afro," doubling a syncopated line played by the only non-percussion instrument used in this piece, the electric bass (7). The drumset (8) and congas (9) provide the complex backbeat for the music.
Musically, "Afro" explores several familiar styles through its various sections, including Afro-Cuban jazz, swing, salsa, and mambo. Several individual performers are featured, playing solos transcribed from the original recording of "Afro": Nick Porter (10) on vibraphone, Cody Hollow (11) on marimba, and Ainsley Boan (12) and Christian Gutierez (13) on steel drums.
The piece also features a section in which the four marimbists play a complicated, polyrhythmic ensemble passage that hearkens to the African roots of the instrument.
Marimbas are also featured on another, smaller ensemble piece on the concert, "Tribeca Sunflower" by Julie Spencer. A quartet for three marimbas and percussion, the piece highlights the playing of Angie Biehl (14). It also features a rather unusual playing technique developed by the composer, according to Ledbetter.
"Spencer developed this technique that involves holding two mallets in one hand and flipping your hand to do these large leaps on the marimba," explains Ledbetter.
Musically, "it combines jazz elements with Indian ragas."
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