#58 Leigh Howard Stevens- Marimba Virtuoso & CEO of the Malletech Corporation
This episode features Leigh Howard Stevens who is not only a marimba virtuoso, but also the CEO of the Malletech company.
R.I.P. to Leon "Ndugu" Chancler, versatile drummer and percussionist who passed away Feb 3rd, due to cancer. You can check out some of the artists and albums he's worked on by clicking HERE. The song Marcos refers to of Ndugu playing Timbales with Santana is "Dance Sister Dance". You can see some videos of Ndugu playing by clicking this playlist HERE.
Grammy Award winners can be found HERE. You can watch Brian Frasier Moore's trip from the tunnel in the stadium out to the field for the halftime show by clicking HERE.
The Masters of the Vibes book full of interviews, pictures and so much information, that you should have if you play vibraphone in any capacity!
The new DW Direct Link Cajon Pedal (DW 5000 CJ DL Pedal) is great for drummers and percussionists who want to use their feet to free up their hands while playing cajon (see the video below). Also, if you want a different option for the beater, the Vic Firth, KB4 is designed with cajons in mind.
Check out Damon with Charlie Hunter on tour from March 15-30th (with Keita Ogawa and Lucy Woodward before that). This is the video of "One Song in one day" with Steve Jordan, Charlie and John Mayer. This is the D'Angelo song Marcos mentions "Spanish Joint" with Charlie Hunter.
Music News this week.....
Spotify is adding songwriter credits as a new feature (and if you don't know who James Fauntleroy is, you can click HERE). 25 Words you didn't know were acronyms. 7 hashtag promotion tips to help get the word out. More endorsement for the Music Modernization Act. If you would like to sign the petition to help pass this in Congress, you can click HERE. Apple music will soon pass Spotify in user tally in the USA. Owner of Coachella donated $50k to a group that called homosexuality "a satanic perversion". He also donated $200k to anti marijuana groups. Best Buy (and soon to be Target) will stop selling CDs.
Leigh started studying drumset with Glenn Weber and then Joe Morello. If you're interested in some of the Joel Rothman percussion books, you can click HERE. Leigh later went to the Eastman School of Music. This is some of the old Kent drums Leigh talks about.
This is the Gary Burton 4 mallet book that started Leigh on the path of changing his grip. Leigh got in touch with Vida Chenoweth to further his marimba studies. He contacted her via aerograms. Vida was a student of the great Clair Omar Musser.
This is the picture of the grip from Vida's record cover Leigh refers to.
Bach C Major invention adapted for marimba was the first piece Leigh played for Vida.
Marimba Productions inc is Studio 4 Music, Resonator Records and Keyboard Percussion Publications. You can read more about the different companies HERE. The Method of Movement book Leigh wrote about technique is the best selling marimba technique book on the planet.
The mimeograph that predated fax machines was a type of printing machine. After the music publication, Leigh started investing in mallets including the Albright series featuring Stefon Harris, previously made famous by the late great Milt Jackson.
Then he started revolutionizing Marimbas, Xylophones, Glockenspiels and now Vibraphones.
If you'd like to read more about the acoustics of resonator tuning, you can click HERE.
You can catch Leigh in Amsterdam in March 2018, Tenerife (Canary Islands) in May 2018, and New Jersey June 4th-15th 2018 for the 2018 Summer Marimba Seminar. All the necessary information can be found HERE. There is also the IWU Marimba Seminar at Indiana Wesleyan University that Leigh will be at. More info on that can be found HERE.
If you'd like to reach out to Leigh, you can contact him HERE. and Malletech on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Youtube.
