#211 Terreon Gully- Drummer for Stefon Harris, Christian McBride, Diane Reeves & More!
This week’s episode is sponsored by Dream Cymbals.
Grammy winning, musician extraordinaire, Terreon Gully is one of the most influential artists of his generation. Widely recognized for his creativity, versatility and authenticity, Terreon is in high demand. His innovative and distinct sound has inspired artists such as Dianne Reeves, Christian McBride, Stefon Harris as well as John Beasley’s Monk’estra to make him a member of their bands.
Terreon has mastered a variety of musical genres. He performs, tours and records extensively with a variety of artists. From jazz legends and modern masters to the hottest hip hop icons, Terreon has worked with the best: Kurt Elling, David Sanborn, Nicholas Payton, Kenny Barron, the Stones Project, Sting, Keyon Harrold, Queen Latifa, Yerba Buena, Charlie Hunter, Abbey Lincoln, Joe Locke, Marc Cary, Russell Gunn, Lizz Wright, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Maria Schneider Big Band, Jacky Terrasson, Eldar, Me’Shell NdegeOcello, Lauryn Hill, Pharoahe Monch, Mos Def, and Common as well as a host of other artists. In addition to live performances, Terreon is also known for his exceptional work in the studio, producing and recording for CDs, films, and commercials; including his first solo project “TANKTIFIED”.
Happy Birthday!
Happy 97th birthday to Max Roach. Maxwell Lemuel Roach (January 10, 1924 – August 16, 2007) was an American jazz drummer and composer. A pioneer of bebop, he worked in many other styles of music, and is generally considered one of the most important drummers in history. He worked with many famous jazz musicians, including Coleman Hawkins, Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Duke Ellington, Thelonious Monk, Abbey Lincoln, Dinah Washington, Charles Mingus, Billy Eckstine, Stan Getz, Sonny Rollins, Eric Dolphy, and Booker Little. He was inducted into the DownBeat Hall of Fame in 1980 and the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame in 1992.
Roach also co-led a pioneering quintet along with trumpeter Clifford Brown and the percussion ensemble M'Boom. He made numerous musical statements relating to the civil rights movement.
The album Damon mentioned is called “Rich vs. Roach”.
Gig Alerts
With Covid-19 cases in Los Angeles surging at an unprecedented rate, the Recording Academy — the organization that oversees the Grammys — announced Tuesday that they were moving the show from January 31st to March 14th.
Amid this backdrop, the Grammys had already planned on a limited show for this year’s event — a live audience is impossible and only presenters and performers were to be allowed on-site during the show — but as Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. tells Rolling Stone, the situation became too untenable for a show later this month. -Article
Educational Spotlight
Due to the uncertainty caused by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, PAS feels it is in the best interest of everyone involved to cancel the (in-person) 2021 Solo Percussion Competition originally scheduled for June 2021 in Rochester, NY.
While we are disappointed to have to cancel the 2021 competition, we are eagerly awaiting restarting our Solo Artist Competitions in 2022 with our Drum Set Competition and 2023 with Solo Percussion.
Given these unprecedented times, we are happy to announce the 2021 PAS Virtual Solo Percussion Competition.
Requirements
Entrants must be 18 - 30 years old on or before June 1, 2021.
PAS membership is not required.
There is an entry fee of $20 for PAS members and $50 for non-members.
Deadline to apply is March 31, 2021
Product Reviews
The first product review is the WoodPack slit/tongue drums. WoodPack is a rhytmical - melodic musical instrument made of high quality resonating wood. Vibrations cause unique and soothing wooden melody, resembling marimba or xylophone. There are two ways to play - you can use sticks with rubber ends or your fingertips. WoodPack is known for carefully chosen and naturally dried wood and quality production, which makes it one of the best among slit drums (tongue drums). Check out their e-shop to see all the options possible.
You can see (friend of the show) Marcelo Woloski performing a demo on the E Major drum.
The other product review is for musicians wanting to do live-stream shows with their band, from different locations IN REAL TIME. Syncspace.Live allows artists to perform together across the Internet in real time and even to broadcast their performance to a live audience.
Our solution was design to meet the demanding needs of professional artists. Under normal ideal conditions, it enables musicians to play together without compromises, performing even the fastest music together and interacting spontaneously in real-time through both audio and video. It’s called a “syncspace” because it’s a space where performers sync up through audio and video.
You can read more about the creator and how he came up with the idea by CLICKING HERE.
Iconic Recording
This week’s iconic recording is “Everybody Loves the Sunshine” by Roy Ayers. Everybody Loves the Sunshine is a studio album and the title of the song by Roy Ayers released under the Roy Ayers Ubiquity umbrella. It was released through Polydor Records in 1976. It peaked at number 51 on the Billboard 200 chart. In 2016, Pitchfork placed the title track at number 72 on the "200 Best Songs of the 1970s" list. The percussionist on this track playing bongos is Rufino "Chano" O’Ferral.
Damon mentions the book “Masters of the Vibes” by Anthony Smith.
Damon also mentions the site Who Sampled (dot) com for tracking down songs that are sampled.
Music News
Woman Who Accosted Jazz Musician’s Son, Falsely Accusing Him of Theft, Has Been Arrested. -Article
Dr. Dre is still in intensive care at a hospital in Los Angeles a week after suffering a brain aneurysm. -Article
Damon mentions Wes Tank and his reading of Dr. Seuss books over Dr. Dre beats.
Legendary underground rapper MF Doom passed away on October 31st at age 49. The news is just now being released. -Article
Damon mentions the DOMi and JD Beck tribute to MF Doom.
Damon brings up the first (and only) time he worked with Terreon as a sub for Stefon Harris’ Grand Unification Theory multi movement suite.
Damon tells a story about the 2002 Modern Drummer Festival.
Terreon talks about the radio station he grew up with in East St. Louis that inspired him to explore all the facets of “Jazz”.
Terreon was taught in High School by the band director Ron Carter (not the bass player). He then attended the University of Houston under Marvin Sparks. He talks about some of the stuff he learned from the classical side to the Afro-Cuban side.
After finishing his degree in Houston, he talks about some of his adventures once he moved to NYC, including keeping his genres separate.
Damon brings up Terreon’s stint playing with Yerba Buena.
Terreon recounts his time in Houston with the long list of musicans that came out of that city. After Houston he went to Atlanta and it was because of IAJE that he packed up and moved to NYC so quickly.
Lewis Nash, Carl Allen, and Jeff “Tain” Watts were a few of the drummers that Terreon knew in NYC before moving. They helped be a support system for him as he got acclimated and started working.
Terreon talks about his encounter with and missed opportunity with Michael Brecker.
Terreon recounts how important the U.S. Percussion camp with Dr. Johnny Lee Lane was for him in getting better and also meeting other musicians. He talks about some of the talent that were there to teach from all genres of music.
Terreon’s first gigs in NYC were playing each weekend at the Crab Shack in Chelsea Piers and the Saturday late night groove sessions at the Blue Note.
Terreon talks about the challenge and blessing of playing on all the different kits in NYC. One of the kits he carted around NYC was a kick, snare, ride and sometimes hi hats.
Terreon and Damon talk about the new Yamaha Crosstown and DW UltraLight hardware.
Not only knowing how to play, but also how to take care of your instrument to be able to dial in your sound on all the different iterations of what a house kit could be.
Terreon served as a Professor of Music at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, Canada from 2008-2010, and has given clinics and master classes all over the world; including, Australia, Canada, France, Germany and New Zealand.
Terreon now resides in Atlanta and has considered doing some film scoring. He’s been working on a new solo album.
He mentions some of the stuff he missed out on because of Covid.
Not only is Terreon a player, but he’s a producer too. He’s been working on Keith Brown’s new record and Janinah Burnett’s new album (which you can pre-order by CLICKING HERE).
Physical exercise has gotten Terreon through the pandemic. He’s been walking every day for about 1.5-2hrs.
Practicing the Rudiments in Slow Motion by Johnny Lee Lane was something Terreon would practice to keep his hands in shape.
Before the pandemic, Terreon was on the road with Stefon Harris, Diane Reeves, Christian McBride and Monk’estra and is looking to get back to that once things are safe.
Terreon tells how he got the nickname “Tank”.
Damon brings up one last memory of seeing the Drummer’s Collective 25th Anniversary, combined with Bass Day.
Terreon looks forward to participating in more drum festivals like PASIC, which has open applications until Jan 19th, 2021.
Shout-out to Dr. Johnny Lee Lane.
Terreon uses Remo Drumheads, Yamaha Drums, Sabian Cymbals, Vic Firth Sticks and Mallets, Protection Racket Cases and Latin Percussion instruments.
You can follow Terreon on his Website, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
The song leading out of the interview is “Say Something” by Christian McBride from the ‘Live at Tonic’ album.
