#230 Carol Steele- Percussionist for Mongo Santamaria, Steve Winwood, Angelique Kidjo & More!
This week’s episode is sponsored by Eucatape. You can get 15% off by using the code: Eucatape15 when checking out.
This week’s guest is renowned percussionist Carol Steele. She has been traveling to Cuba for 30 years, and introducing the island to fellow travelers for 20. Carol developed her love of travel as a professional musician, but it was going to Cuba in 1987 when she knew she had found her spiritual home. Carol’s enthusiasm is contagious, as is her love of Cuba, its culture, its history, and most of all, its people. Carol’s professional résumé reads like a Who’s Who of popular music. She has performed or recorded with Peter Gabriel, Steve Winwood, Joan Baez, Tears for Fears, Bette Midler, and many other well-known artists. Carol was the first American woman to play with Los Muñequitos de Matanzas, one of Cuba’s iconic folklore groups, and she toured the United States with Lazaro Ros and Amelia Pedroso, two of Cuba’s most popular and beloved Folkloric singers. Carol’s second passion, besides music, is the study of Cuban Religions of African Origin. She loves to share her knowledge of the history of these spiritual practices, of their survival through music and art, and of how deeply entwined they are into the fabric of everyday Cuban life
R.I.P.
Rest in peace to Roger Hawkins, a drummer who provided rhythmic punch for Aretha Franklin and Wilson Pickett among others. He passed away at age 75. -Article
Here’s a playlist of songs that Roger Hawkins has played on.
Happy Birthday!
Happy Birthday to Camilo Molina-Gaetán. Camilo is an accomplished Multi-Percussionist from New York City and is considered to be one of the most promising and versatile percussionists of his generation. Having knowledge spanning from Jazz to Salsa, as well as the folkloric music of Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Caribbean. In 2000, Camilo was selected as one of ten semifinalists to compete in the Thelonious Monk International Afro-Latin Hand Drum Competition. He went on to be selected third place winner, who, at age ten was the youngest finalist in the 14-year history of the competition. Camilo continues to make a name for himself early in his career, performing with acts varying in musical genres and styles. He is currently a member of Legendary Pianist Eddie Palmieri’s Orchestras and has toured, recorded and performed with artists such as Santana, Tito Puente, Eddie Palmieri, Dave Grusin, Giovanni Hidalgo, Los Pleneros de la 21, Miguel Zenón, Teatro Pregones, Viento de Agua, John Santos, The Curtis Brothers, and many more.
Happy Birthday to Aaron Draper. Aaron like many young musicians-to-be, Draper gained his first exposure to live music in the church and begin to play the drums at the age of nine. As Draper started to develop his skills as a drummer, he started to branch out and play for various churches around Philly. Draper recalls in those early years learning "you got to pay attention, follow the service, stay on the beat, stay in the pocket, but also play from the heart."
As he got older, Draper received a different kind of hands-on musical education at Gratz High School. There, Draper developed some jazz chops and began to learn theory. This time proved to be a turning point for the budding musician, (still primarily a drum set player), as he consumed not only what he was hearing in the church and in
school, but also the work of musicians like Vinnie Colaiuta, Dave Weckl, Giovanni Hidalgo, Pancho Sanchez, Sheila E., Tito Puente, Jaco Pastorius, Weather Report, The Yellowjackets, and fellow Philadelphians Brian Moore and John Roberts. Meanwhile, radio staples like the The Winans, Marvin Gaye, and Michael Jackson.
After high school, Draper hit the road running, foregoing college and taking various rap, jazz, and soul gigs, which eventually led to a steady job with acclaimed soul outfit Jazzyfatnastees. Draper progressively moving up the industry food chain played in local festival events with visiting rap and hip-hop artists, including Doug.
E. Fresh, Big Daddy Kane, and Common. In 2005, Draper would get his second major break when he started touring with powerful soul songstress Jill Scott.Throughout the years Draper has shared the stage with other accomplished artists. Draper’s resume is brimming with high-profile gigs such as: Common; Karen Clark-Shears; LL Cool J; Eminen and Dr. Dre. Yet the percussionist remains wide-eyed and humble about his success,the exposure, and traveling the world. More recently you can catch Aaron performing with the likes of Eminem, Adele or John Mayer.
Happy Birthday to Eric Kalb. Southpaw drummer Eric Kalb is a versatile musician who enjoys playing groove based music. A devotee of R&B and Soul drumming, his improvisational aesthetic is colored by sudden bursts of rock aggression. Based in Brooklyn, New York, Eric is a multi-faceted studio and touring drummer whose “energetic and exhilarating style” (Jazz Times) keeps him in constant demand.
Over the course of his twenty-year career Kalb has taken to both studio and stage with a dazzling cavalcade of influential and innovative artists. He’s laid it down hard for the supernatural force of Miss Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings, the seven-string guitar wizardry of Charlie Hunter, jazz guitarist John Scofield and living organ Legend Dr. Lonnie Smith; to name but a few. Hunter calls Kalb’s drumming “A funky Clyde Stubblefield/ Jabo Starks kinda way of relating (to Jazz) …really cool and refreshing“. Recent recording sessions include soundtracks for the major motion pictures “American Gangster” and “Walk Hard:The Dewey Cox Story“.
Kalb’s obsession with hitting things began in his tenth year growing up with his family on Long Island, when he picked up some drum sticks and discovered what those around him had long suspected – that God made him funky. Fueled by his love for Led Zeppelin, The Stones and The Beatles, Eric focused his energies into qualifying for a coveted position at The Cultural Arts Center in Syosset, NY. It was here, under the tutelage of the late David Burns Sr. that he was introduced to Jazz and it’s history as told through Duke Ellington, Dizzy Gillespie and Art Taylor. These lessons formed the very bedrock of his style and informed the trajectory of his passion.
Happy Birthday to Bobby Allende. Born and raised in New York City, Bobby's foundation in Afro-Cuban Percussion commenced at the age of three. With the patient and constant guidance of his Uncles Angel Allende and Papiro Allende (well-respected musicians) Bobby embarked on a journey that has taken him around the world twice over. His dedication to his craft and spirited personality has earned him the respect of some of the top names in the industry. His performances with Buddy Rich on the Mike Douglas Show (age 7) and with Julio Iglesias at Madison Square Garden (age 10) helped open the doors of opportunity. At a performance at Madison Square Garden the legendary Tito Puente invited Bobby to perform alongside him. Thus, the formation of the juvenile group the "Rumberito All Stars" was born. The group continued to be the opening act for Tito Puente through 1980 and allowed Bobby to refine his craft under the supervision of a legend. Bobby moved on to work with and tour with many other Latin musicians such as Hector Lavoe, Jose Alberto "El Canario", RMM All Stars and Ruben Blades among an extensive list of many others. Later, he became the Musical Director for Willie Colon, Marc Anthony and La India. Bobby's expertise does not only limit him to the Latin Music Industry but has given him the opportunity to work with the likes of David Byrne, Grover Washington, Jr., Rodney Jones, Spyro Gyra and Marion Meadows. His versatility with Latin rhythms did not escape the sights of Paul Simon and earned him a place in the orchestra for the Broadway musical "The Capeman." It also afforded him the opportunity to continue his working relationship with Salsa/Pop performer Marc Anthony. In addition to his work with the New Santana Band, Bobby is currently the Musical Director for Tito Nieves and a member of the Grammy winning Spanish Harlem Orchestra. Bobby is frequently called upon as a Musical Consultant to audition and hire musicians, rehearse and create set lists for new artists. His strong musical background and almost 30 years in the entertainment business have successfully allowed him a natural progression into this role.
Happy Birthday to the late Levon Helm. Mark Lavon "Levon" Helm (May 26, 1940 – April 19, 2012) was an American musician and actor who achieved fame as the drummer and one of the vocalists for The Band. Helm was known for his deeply soulful, country-accented voice, multi-instrumental ability, and creative drumming style, highlighted on many of The Band's recordings, such as "The Weight", "Up on Cripple Creek", and "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down".
Helm also had a successful career as a film actor, appearing as Loretta Lynn's father in Coal Miner's Daughter (1980), as Chuck Yeager's friend and colleague Captain Jack Ridley in The Right Stuff (1983), as a Tennessee firearms expert in Shooter (2007), and as General John Bell Hood in In the Electric Mist (2009).
In 1998, Helm was diagnosed with throat cancer which caused him to lose his singing voice. After treatment, his cancer eventually went into remission, and he gradually regained the use of his voice. His 2007 comeback album Dirt Farmer earned the Grammy Award for Best Traditional Folk Album in February 2008, and in November of that year, Rolling Stone magazine ranked him No. 91 in its list of 100 Greatest Singers of All Time,. In 2010, Electric Dirt, his 2009 follow-up to Dirt Farmer, won the first Grammy Award for Best Americana Album, a category inaugurated in 2010. In 2011, his live album Ramble at the Ryman won the Grammy in the same category. In 2016, Rolling Stone magazine ranked him No. 22 in its list of 100 Greatest Drummers of All Time.
Gig Alerts
Lollapalooza released their line up for their festival. You can get tickets online at THEIR WEBSITE.
Austin City Limits festival also released their lineup for the two weekends. You can get tickets on THEIR WEBSITE as well.
Damon has a public gig coming up on Thursday July 8th from 4-7pm at Cisco Brewers at The Village in Stamford, CT with singer/songwriter Billy Ruegger.
Educational Spotlight
KoSA Music proudly presents a historic, unique & ground-breaking event June 26 & 27, 2021. A live educational event directly from Havana Cuba has never been done, but KoSA is making it happen!
Hosted by KoSA Music’s director, Aldo Mazza, KoSA will be offering a 2-day intensive workshop on Cuban music directly broadcasted in real-time from Havana, Cuba!
The Faculty includes some of Cuba’s top musicians:
Horacio Hernandez, Giraldo Piloto, Changuito, Oliver Valdes, Samuel Formell, Yaroldy Abreu, Rodney Barreto, Dr. Olavo Alen Rodriguez, special guests and surprises, AND the event will be hosted and translated by Aldo Mazza. The schedule for these two days begins at 10 AM-4.30 pm daily interactive LIVE classes, question and answer period following all classes, plus access to online evening concerts. That's over 10 hours of invaluable information on Cuban music!
KoSA Music prides itself in its 26-year history of offering world-class music events and workshops to several thousands of music professionals, to students of all ages and levels, and to music lovers all over the world. This edition will be no exception and KoSA Music guarantees the delivery of an authentic Cuban experience to all registered attendees.
Iconic Recording
This week’s iconic recording is “Cemento, Ladrillo Y Arena” from the album ‘En Primera Plana’. That album (released in 2007) is a musical triumph highlighting not only his genius, but also the divergent development of music under differing political regimes.
You can see the credits of who was on that album by CLICKING HERE.
The playlist Damon mentions that Marcos Lopez created can be found HERE.
Music News
Ian Hale ’08 was announced the new associate director and head of percussion for the Minuteman Band today. Ian received degrees in percussion performance from the University of Calgary and the University of Massachusetts Amherst where his teachers included Dr. Glenn Price, Eduardo Leandro, and DCI Hall of Fame member and past Associate Director Thom Hannum. Ian was a member of the music faculty at UMass from 2007-2008 and has served as a percussion instructor and clinician ever since. He was the Assistant Director of Bands for the Calgary Stampede Showband from 2009-2011 and has served as Percussion Director for Spirit Winter Percussion from Orleans, Massachusetts since 2012. -Article
Five Months After ‘Save Our Stages’ Became Law, Indie Venues Have Received $0 in Federal Relief. $0: That’s how much money the Small Business Administration has paid independent venues since Save Our Stages Act — which guarantees independent venues and theaters $16 billion in federal pandemic relief — was passed into law five months ago. -Article
Carol Steele Interview
The song leading into the interview is “Adouma” by Angelique Kidjo from the ‘Keep On Moving album’.
The interview starts with Damon recounting the story of how he first found out about Carol. Damon was introduced to Horacio “El Negro” Hernandez by Ken Ross. Ken was helping Negro put together his book, “Conversations in Clave”. Ken passed along a casette of three songs that Carol was singing on. You can listen below.
Carol is putting together a memoir to be released in the future.
Carol was raised in the Bay area. She and Damon make a mention of the famous Mission style burritos. A Mission burrito (also known as a San Francisco burrito or a Mission-style burrito) is a type of burrito that first became popular during the 1960s in the Mission District of San Francisco, California. It is distinguished from other burritos by its large size and inclusion of extra rice and other ingredients.
Carol attended the St John Ursuline Girls Catholic High School in San Francisco.
Shout-out to Carlos Santana, his brother Jorge and Benny Collins among others.
Carol talks about her nickname “Carol Conga” and naming Jorge’s band, sitting in with bands among other childhood memories.
Carol talks about the mixing of cultures and music.
Carol talks about meeting Mongo Santamaria at Ceasar’s. The song she mentions is Cuco Y Olga.
Carol talks about coming to NYC and learning more from the environment as well as living next door to Flora Purim, Airto Moreira and Stanley Clarke.
Carol used to participate in a weekly musical “study group” with John Santos and Raul Rekow.
Carol talks about meeting Flora at the Keystone Korner. Keystone Korner was a jazz club in the North Beach neighborhood of San Francisco, which opened in 1972 and continued operation until 1983. Many live recordings were made at the club.
One of her teachers was Fransisco Aguabella.
Carol talks about the L.A. hang at George Cannon’s house and meeting other percussionists, especially Luis Conte. Luis recommended Carol to play with Diana Ross alongside Gil Askey, Greg Phillinganes, and Alex Acuña.
Carol talks about sneaking rhythms of the African diaspora into western pop music. One of the songs she mentions is “Sowing the Seeds of Love” by Tears for Fears.
Carol talks about going to Cuba after playing with Steve Winwood.
If you are heading to Cuba, Carol “knows a guy” that can help make your trip a bit more enriched.
Carol was officially inducted into the Santería, also known as La Regla de Ocha. It is an African diasporic religion that developed in Cuba during the late 19th century. It arose through a process of syncretism between the traditional Yoruba religion of West Africa, the Roman Catholic form of Christianity, and Spiritism.
Carol talks about some of the religious ceremonies that include the Bata drums or a güiro instrumentation of chekeres and a tumbadora.
Carol touches on some of the inner workings of the religion and the readings.
Carol talks about living in Havana, but her heart is in Matanzas. She talks about some of the things she can help facilitate if you take a trip to Cuba and reach out to her.
You can reach out to Carol via her email: steelina@gmail.com, or Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
Carol is a gigantic dog lover! You can be on the look out for her new book with Great Dog Literary.
John Santos, Michael Spiro, Jesus Diaz, Javier Diaz, are a few of the educators Carol mentions checking out to further your percussion studies.
The song leading out of the interview is “Higher Love” by Steve Winwood from the album ‘Back in the High Life’.
