REVIEW
GPT 2005 CD Release in
Percussive
Arts Society Percussive Notes August 2005
by F. Michael Combs
Global Percussion Trio
If you want to hear a great variety of percussion
trio music, played extremely well and recorded with very high-quality
fidelity, get a copy of this CD. The music includes a medieval
song, African dances, a Green rag, a tambourine trio, a Miles
Davis tune, an 18th-century French dance, steel drums, Latin
music, military drumming, and other pieces with ethnic percussion.
There are 16 pieces in all, and just as you get settled in
to one listening groove, the next piece is a total turnaround. One of the more noteworthy performances is Barry Dove's
solo work in"Marimba
Spiritual (Part 2)"
by
Miki. Dove brings special life to this standard
in the marimba repertoire. Use of Japanese taiko drums
and
Tibetian
singing
bowls provide the most interesting accompaniment colors.
Some
of the most effective use of percussion instruments
include
the udu in the opening medieval song, wooden
boxes and spoons in "Yambu,"
tambourine
color contrasts in the tambourine trio "Proposal",
bata
drumming in "Chango,"
frame
drums in "Framed,"
use
of a tapan drum in "Tapan Solo," andalmglocken
and nipple gongs in the Sonny Rollins tune "Oleo."
In terms of sheer accuracy of playing, the entire
CD is impeccable, and
the timpani bass line in "Oleo"
demonstrates unusual
pitch accuracy.
The
marimba performance in
the medieval song "Gaudete"
is
as close to perfect as one could expect.
Global Percussion
Trio sets a new
standard for quality of recorded sound, accuracy of performance and
stylistic variety.
Now Available, Percussion Arrangements by Barry Dove
Global
Percussion Trio has recently recorded their debut CD “Global
Percussion Trio” 2005. Click the image to the left
to go to our ordering page.
See
below for track list and other information about the CD. Stay
tuned to this website for sound samples in the coming weeks.
Other recordings
by Global Percussion include CDs for Robert Macht’s “Suite
for Javanese Gamelan and Synthesizer” 1996 and “Vishnu” 1999.
See the players
bio's for more information on other recordings.
The Music and Instruments
The
Trio's debut CD includes music from Ghana, Cuba, Japan,
Trinidad & Tobago, France, Finland, India, Brazil,
and Bulgaria. This image shows
a typical stage set for GPT. Click the image for a full
screen version. All of the following instruments appear on
the CD:
Instruments on played by the Trio include: Agogo
Bell, Almglocken , Ankle Rattles, Atoke Bell, Atsimevu, Axatse,
Bamboo, Bass Drum, Bata Drums, Bendir, Bodhran, Boba, Cajon,
Clave, Latin
Percussion Conga,
Cowbell, Chinese Tom Toms, Crash Cymbals, Crotale, Cuica, Drumset,
Finger Cymbals, Gankogui, Gaval, Gongon, Guiro,
Hoe Blade, Jam block, Kagan, Kidi, Marimba, Nipple Gong, Quinto,
Riq, Sar Di, Shaker, Shekere, Blackswamp
Percussion Snare Drum ,
Sogo, Song Bells, Steel Drum, Taiko Drums, Tambourine, Tar,
Tibetian Singing
Bowls , Timpani, Tumba, Udu , Vibraphone, VIC
FIRTH STICKS AND MALLETS, Wooden Spoons, Xylophone, ZILDJIAN
CYMBALS
CD Program Notes + Tracks
CD Program Notes
Track 1 Gaudete - A medieval
song by Piae Cantiones which was published in a Finnish songbook “Devout
ecclesiastical and scholastic songs of the old bishops” in
1582. (finger cymbals, marimba, song bells, tambourine and udu)
listen to a sample.
Time 1:34
(Piae Cantiones/arr. by Robert J. Batastini)
Track 2 Abekor -
The dance of warriors by the “Ewe” people
of Ghana.
Adzogbo - A recreational dance of the “Fon” people
of Benin. This represents a tug of war between land (elephant) and
sea (crocodile).
Gahu - A social recreational dance form of the “Ewe” people
of Ghana.
(atsimevu, axatse, boba, gankogui bell, kagan, kidi, pod ankle rattles,
pedal atoke bell, sogo, and uyot seed ankle rattles) Barry Dove - Atsimevu & Boba overdub
Time 6:12
(Trad. Ghanian)
Track 3 Log Cabin Blues - An upbeat
Ragtime piece composed and published by George Hamilton Green. Originally a xylophone
solo with piano accompaniment composed
1924.
(Deagan xylophone #1750, Kori marimba and Deagan vibraphone #45) Barry Dove - Xylophone solo
Time 2:36
(George Hamilton Green)
Track 4 Yambu - The oldest and
slowest form of Rumba. Usually played on Cajons (wooden boxes), it was originally
played on salt cod crates on the fishing piers of Cuba.
(bamboo, cajon bongos, cajon conga, large cajon and wooden spoons) John Thomakos - Cajon bongo overdub
listen to a
sample.
Time 2:12
(Trad. Cuban)
Track 5 Alborada del Gracioso-
Spanish influenced work by Maurice Ravel. Originated as a piano piece from his
five “Miroirs” composed in 1906 for solo
piano, it was arranged by the composer in 1918 for full orchestra. This version
is an arrangement for two marimbas by Danish Percussion Group “Safri Duo”.
(5 octave Adams marimba and 4 1/2 octave Kori marimba) Svet Stoyanov & Barry Dove - Marimba
Time 3:49
(Maurice Ravel/ arr. by Safri Duo)
Track 6 Proposal - A cannon for
three tambourines by composer Eugene Novotney. (Grover tambourine - copper,
Lefima tambourine - german silver
and Vaughcraft tambourine - silver)
listen to a
sample.
Time 3:15
(Eugene Novotney)
Track 7 All Blues -
An iconic
song in the jazz idiom. A Miles Davis standard from
the landmark 1959 recording, “Kind of Blue”.
(Deagan vibraharp #45, drumset and marimba) Barry Dove - Vibe solo
John Thomakos - Drum solo Time 6:20
(Miles Davis) Track 8 Chango - God of lighting and thunder. One of
the orichas in Cuban Santeria Bata drumming which stems from traditional Yoruba
religion. There is no Deity
more vehement or energetic than Chango. (bata drums - itotele, iya, okonkolo
and pedal cowbell)
listen to a
sample.
Time 2:48
(Trad. Santerian)
Track 9 Tambourin-
An 18th century baroque french dance with drums, originally accompanied
by pipe and a tambourine. (marimba,
rig and tar)
Time 1:37
(Sean Philippe Rameau)
Track 10 Framed - An improvisatory piece for frame drums which uses
techniques and exercises from my teacher Glen Velez. (bendir, bodhran,
riq, tar and voice) Barry Dove - Bodhran overdub
listen
to a sample.
Time 3:19
(Barry Dove)
dedicated to Glen Velez
Track 11 St. Thomas - Sonny Rollins’ most noted composition which honored
his parents’ Virgin Island roots with a calypso rhythm.
(clave, conga, cuica, drumset, guiro, hoe blade, marimba, shaker and steel
drum) Barry Dove - Marimba/Steel drum solo
Svet Stoyanov - Drumset
Time 3:06
(Sonny Rollins)
Track 12 Comparsa - A piece played during Carnival in Cuba before Lent. Featuring
a large band (comparsa) of drummers playing Conga de Comparsa during a celebratory
parade.
Bembe - A ceremonial rhythm played in Cuba during religious gatherings including
drumming, singing and dancing. (agogo bells, conga, cowbells, gon gon/bombo,
pedal cowbells, pedal jam block, quinto, shekre and tumba) Barry Dove - Quinto overdub
Time 3:09
(Trad. Cuban) Track 13 Marimba Spiritual - The third marimba composition by Minoru Miki that
has become a standard in the marimba repertoire. The traditional Japanese Taiko
drumming rhythms come from the festivals of the Chichbu area. (5 octave Marimba
One, gon gon, japanese taiko drums, tibetian singing bowls, sar di and voice) Barry Dove - Marimba
listen
to a sample.
Time 9:29
(Minoru Miki)
Track 14 Tapan Solo - An improvisation on Bulgarian rhythms. The
Tapan is a traditional wooden drum with goat skin and is played with two sticks:
Kijak, made of walnut
in the left hand and a thin flexible stick usually made of dogwood in the right
hand. The tapan is as common as the “percussion section” in the
folk music of Eastern Europe. Svet Stoyanov - solo
TIme 2:17
( Svet Stoyanov)
Track 15 March Time - A typical parade-like piece scored for bass
drum, snare drum and cymbals. (36” Reamer bass drum. snare drum, 18” Constantinople
K ZILDJIAN special selection cymbals)
listen to
a sample.
Time 2:14
(David P. Eyler)
Track 16 Oleo - A Sonny Rollins jazz classic based on “I’ve Got Rhythm”.
(Bb almglocken, Bb crotale, Bb nipple gong, Deagan vibes, drumset and timpani)
listen
to a sample.
16.
Oleo 0:57
(Sonny Rollins)