Notable performances include the 2018 Percussive Arts Society International Convention in Indianapolis, Percussive Arts Society Ohio Chapter Days of Percussion at Capital University, Ohio Northern University, Youngstown State University, and Ohio Music Education Association Conferences in Cleveland, Columbus, and Cincinnati. A central part of our mission involves collaborations with composers in the commissioning, premiering, and critically acclaimed recording of their works. Our 2005 release "Dark Wood" includes six premiere recordings and commissions. Our commission project with New York City-based percussionist/composer John Hollenbeck on his "Ziggurat" for five percussionists and four saxophonists, was premiered at the Whitney Museum of Contemporary Art in New York City, and is available on his 2008 release "Rainbow Jimmies." The Youngstown Percussion Collective's 2012 release "Forms Of Things Unknown" is a concert-length suite by YSU professor of jazz studies, bass, and composition, Dr. Dave Morgan. Our 2012 recording of Ron Coulter's "Cajon Trio" will appear on an upcoming 2019 Coulter CD release.
*YSYO Percussion Ensemble
Hoo-Daiko by Robert J. Damm is a percussion sextet that was inspired by traditional Japanese Taiko drumming. This piece is based on typical rhythm patterns found in the Matsuri (folk festivals), in which Taiko plays a prominent role.
Taiko drummers utilize many techniques that contribute to their powerful sound and also provide an impressive visual element of choreographed movement. For examples of this traditional style of playing, see a performance by Japanese taiko masters, Kodo or New York-based taiko ensemble, Soh Daiko. Notes by Robert Damm.
The myriad ways of grouping and feeling a rhythmic cycle of twelve beats underpins an incredible diversity of musical genres and styles, from traditional African and Indian music, through blues, jazz, and progressive rock, and contemporary classical music. At the most elemental level, twelve can be grouped as four groups of three beats or three groups of four beats. It may be felt as two groups of six beats or six groups of two beats. Assymetrical groupings including 7+5 and 5+7 are also possibilities. We can then superimpose these subdivisions to create a sense of polymeter. “The Universal Dance”, inspired by Yoruban drumming, explores some of these possibilities. The piece begins by superimposing four against three before shifting to other grouping options. The relatively simple folk-like melodic and harmonic material allows the parameter of rhythm to stay in the foreground. A successful performance will make the audience want to join the dance!
Ron Coulter received his Bachelors degree and Masters of Music Performance from the Youngstown State University Dana School of Music and is now the director of percussion studies at Casper College in Casper, WY. Jam Box was composed while Coulter was director of percussion at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, IL and is dedicated to his students Nathan Staley and Nathan Kingery.”
Moacir Santos, born to a poor family in Pernambuco (Northeastern Brazil) was regarded as a walking encyclopedia in the realm of Brazilian instrumental music. Without hesitation, artists like João Donato, Dori Caymmi, Paulo Moura and Sérgio Mendes will testify to his brilliance. The late Brazilian guitar ace Baden Powell was Moacir's pupil, and revered his master on the song "Samba da Benção." And the President of Brazil has awarded Santos the medal of Rio Branco's order.
J.B. Smith received the B.M. in music education from Baylor University where he studied with Dr. Larry Vanlandingham, the M.M. in percussion performance from the University of Illinois with Tom Siwe, and the D.M.A. in percussion from the University of North Texas with Robert Schietroma. Smith is currently Director of Percussion Studies at Arizona State University. Slap Shift is based on Afro-Cuban folkloric drumming rhythms.
Peaches en Regalia is one of Zappa’s most well known works. Featured as the opening track on Zappa’s album, “Hot Rats,” Peaches combines Zappa’s eccentric compositional approach, quirky instrumentation, and complex arrangement.
This percussion ensemble arrangement of Harold Arlen’s Over the Rainbow from The Wizard of Oz is based on Oetomo’s solo marimba version. The three accompaniment parts support the soloist as if within a classical concerto setting.
A trio of mallet players accompanies the solo marimba part of vibraphones, glockenspiel, and a second marimba, diversifying the texture possibilities and color spectrum. The arrangement contains influences of jazz in its harmonies and quasi-improvisation, as well as classical romantic elements of runs, ornaments, and flourishes. The instrumentation highlights these influences while maintaining the simplicity of the melody and harmony of the original song.
Judy Garland first recorded the original song in 1938. It was then made famous through the acclaimed film, The Wizard of Oz, in 1939.
This arrangement was commissioned by Louis Boldrighini and Manvel High School Percussion Ensemble and premiered at the 2015 Midwest Clinic in Chicago, IL.
Establishing a simple main theme at the beginning, Quartet in C Minor journeys through variations of textures and counter lines. While this main melodic idea is passed through all four players, we continually revisit that recognizable theme.
While a novel concept in theory, with the talent of four gifted musicians, such a simple little tune can stretch into varieties of musical interpretations. This is their story!
Notes by Tommy Starr
Olodum is a percussion group from Salvador, Bahia, Brazil that is probably most well known in the United States for recording alongside prominent pop artists such as Michael Jackson, Paul Simon, Wayne Shorter and Herbie Hancock. However, in Brazil they are known for much more than that. Olodum is a non-government activism group that was developed to combat social discrimination, boost the self-esteem and pride of African-Brazilians, and defend and fight to secure civil and human rights for marginalized people in Bahia and Brazil.
Their rhythms featured here focus on a slower, “groove” style of samba as opposed to the upbeat, up-tempo Samba Batucada styles of Rio de Janeiro.
Dr. David Morgan, Professor of Jazz Studies and String Bass at Youngstown State University, composed both of these pieces as a part of a twelve-movement suite, “Forms of Things Unknown,” commissioned by the Youngstown Percussion Collective in 2011. Every movement from this work was inspired by a quote or piece of literature:
Desiring
I dig my toes into the sand
The ocean looks like a thousand diamonds
Strewn across a blue blanket
I lean against the wind
Pretend that I am weightless
And in this moment I am happy
I wish you were here
Do I Dare Eat a Peach?
I grow old…I grow old…
I shall wear the bottoms of my trousers rolled.
Shall I part my hair behind? Do I dare eat a peach?
Sharpened Stick (1999) - Brett Dietz (b.1972)
The Sharpened Stick is a Native American war song and dance that is in the "fish-step" style. It is said that the popular 1920's dance craze the "Charleston" was derived from this dance. At certain points of the composition, the performers shout "Yo-Ho"- In Native American music, this is sounded by the 'head singer' and signifies a change of direction in the music as well as a change in the direction of the dance. Notes by Brett Dietz
