#304 Amaury Acosta- Drummer for King Klave, (U)nity, Founder of Klave's Paradise & More!
Amaury Acosta (aka King Klave) is a Cuban American Drummer, Producer, Composer, & Educator. He authentically blends his Afro-Cuban roots with the various Musical influences he experienced growing up in Hell's Kitchen NYC! Amaury Acosta (aka King Klave) is a Cuban American Drummer, Producer, Composer, & Educator.
Happy Birthday!
Happy Birthday to Ney Rosauro! Ney is a native of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Ney Rosauro has developed a successful international career as a percussionist, composer and pedagogue.
With his unique style of writing which combines charming melodies with catchy rhythms, he utilizes the rich elements of Brazilian folklore to create stylized compositions that are full of life and fantasy, and has been enchanting audiences all over the world.
Happy Birthday to Bill Bachman. Bill is a world-renowned specialist in hand technique with a heavy background in rudimental drumming and its application to the drumset. Bachman is a regular contributing columnist for Modern Drummer magazine and is the author of the books Stick Technique, an Essential Guide for the Modern Drummer and Rhythm & Chops Builders published through Modern Drummer Publishing (nominated for “Best Product” in their 2018 Readers Poll, as well as the Logic marching percussion instructional book series for Row-Loff Productions. Bachman is the founder of DrumWorkout.com, designer of Vic Firth’s Heavy Hitter pad series and his signature Billy Club drumsticks and the inventor of the patented Remote Speedy Hat.
Bachman is a graduate of the Berklee College of Music and has studied percussion performance at the University of North Texas. He is a member of the Percussive Arts Society’s Health and Wellness committee and Modern Drummer magazine’s education team where he was recently nominated in the 2016 reader’s poll under the “clinician/educator” category.
Bill has played with and instructed many award-winning marching percussion groups, including the UNT drum line and various DCI World Class finalists (Cadets, Bluecoats, Blue Knights, and Carolina Crown). On drumset, Bill is the drummer for Herd of Instinct, Spoke of Shadows, has toured with progressive rock artist Neal Morse, and freelances playing and recording in the Dallas area. Bachman is an international drum clinician, and he endorses Vic Firth sticks, Remo drumheads, Zildjian cymbals, and Row-Loff Productions products.
Happy Birthday to Taku Hirano. Taku is one of the top percussionists on the touring and recording circuit, has been referred to by rock legend Mick Fleetwood, founder and drummer for Fleetwood Mac, as his “Secret Weapon" for good reason. His training encompasses Classical concert percussion, jazz drum set, and traditional Afro-Cuban, Brazilian, West African, Middle Eastern, Indian and Japanese styles and instruments.
This includes a BM cum laude from Berklee College of Music as the institution's first graduating Hand Percussion degree major, four years under the tutelage of conga master Giovanni Hidalgo, four years of Middle Eastern percussion studies under world fusion percussionist Jamey Haddad, studies with frame drumming virtuoso Glen Velez, graduate studies in World Music Performance at California Institute of the Arts studying West African and Indian percussion, time spent with Tokyo’s leading taiko drumming dojo through the Nippon Taiko Foundation, research in Havana, Cuba studying for a month both privately with percussion legend Jose Luis "Changuito" Quintana and at the Escuelas Nacionales de Arte - ENA, and formative years spent under the guidance of Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra principal timpanist Kristan Phillips, jazz drumming legend Alan Dawson and world-renowned pop, funk and jazz drummer Ndugu Chancler.
Taku’s client list of luminaries spans practically every genre. He has toured the world with Fleetwood Mac, Whitney Houston, John Mayer, Bette Midler, Stevie Nicks, Lionel Richie, Isaac Hayes, Japanese pop superstar Utada Hikaru, as a soloist on Japanese and Indian percussion with Academy Award-winning Bollywood composer A.R. Rahman (Slumdog Millionaire), and as a featured soloist on the #7 top-grossing concert tour of all time, Cirque du Soleil’s Michael Jackson: THE IMMORTAL World Tour.
Happy Birthday to Kenny Grohowski. Brought up in a musical household in Miami, Kenny has been performing since the age of 14. His rich musical background is demonstrated through the growing list of his collaborators and guest artists, including John Zorn, Andy Milne & Dapp Theory, Felix Pastorius & The Hipster Assassins, Shanir Blumenkranz, Trey Spruance & Secret Chiefs 3, Imperial Triumphant, Rez Abbasi & Junction, Jorge Sylvester’s A.C.E Collective, Jonathan Powell & Nu Sangha, Daniel Bernard Roumain, Bobby Sanabria, Lonnie Plaxico, Bill T. Jones, and Richie Ray & Bobby Cruz.
Happy Birthday to Makaya McCraven. Makaya is a beat scientist. The cutting edge drummer, producer, and sonic collagist is a multi-talented force whose inventive process & intuitive style of performance defy categorization. French-born, but raised in the Pioneer Valley of Massachusetts by expatriate musician parents, McCraven went on to develop his chops in Chicago and now represents a rising generation of globally-minded, genre-bending music makers as an artist as well as band leader. Through his unique, rarified performances and collaborations he unapologetically affirms our right to re-think and re-write the rules, any rules, and affirms other artists in their own exploratory evolutions. The song playing behind his intro is ‘Suite Haus’, from his newest album, “Universal Beings”.
Gig Alerts
There is a graduate assistantship position available at James Madison University.
The Madison Scouts drum corps is looking for a Front Ensemble Coordinator.
Damon has some upcoming gigs and clinics to check out.
Educational Spotlight
Last week’s guest, Karli Viña was featured on the Percussive Arts Society social media pages doing a little PASIC preview.
Iconic Recording
The iconic recording this week is from the Irakere album, ‘Irakere’. The track is “Iya”.
Amaury Acosta Interview
The song leading into the interview is from King Klave’s new self-titled album. The track is “Dillacuta”.
Damon last saw Amaury at Candido Camero’s birthday celebration.
Amaury attended the LaGuardia (FAME) high school and also the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis High School.
Amaury talks about the audition process for the LaGuardia high school.
Amaury talks about his dad, Ivan Acosta and his film “El Super”.
If you would like more info on Hispanic Heritage Month, CLICK HERE.
Amaury talks about drumming from Uruguay. Candombe music from Uruguay uses wooden drums that are shaped like barrels and called tamboriles. You wear them with one strap over your shoulder (called a talig or talí) and play them with a stick in your other hand. There are three kinds of tamboriles: chico (alto), repique (tenor), and piano (bass).
Damon talks about the short doc on the history of the cajon.
Amaury’s dad is from the Los Ojos part of Santiago Cuba. He talks about the conga that is played there.
The song in the break is “Osain” from the King Klave album.
There’s a brief conversation about traffic in NYC.
Amaury attended the New School.
Amaury talks about the inspiration and process to recording his new album. It started with seeing Flying Lotus live.
Amaury talks about learning production and what he does using Logic.
He talks about the help he got from DJ Harrison, aka Devonne Andre Harris.
Amaury talks about his production inspirations like Quincy Jones, DJ Premier, Just Blaze, Boy Wonder, Flying Lotus, MadLib and J Dilla. Shout-out to John Brion.
Damon talks briefly about the recording process, and mentions the mixing engineer, Manny Marroquin.
Amaury talks about his relationship with Pino Palladino.
Amaury talks about recording overdubs in a hotel in the summer.
Amaury talks about his relationship with Candido Camero.
Amaury and Damon talk about skin color being an issue in music in the 1950’s.
Amaury mentions the Tony Bennett record cover with Candido on it.
Amaury shares some great words from one of Candido’s last visits.
He also talks about the tribute he wrote for him called “Gracias Maestro”.
Amaury talks about being a band leader vs. a side person.
He talks about the dilemma of finding great musicians and team players.
Amaury also has an independent new media agency focusing in Music Licensing, Content Development. It is called Klave’s Paradise.
Amaury picks out the iconic recording.
Shout-out to Pedrito Martinez, Mauricio Herrera (Tamayo), Roman Diaz, Candido Camero, Charlie Persip, Nasheet Waits, (friend of the show) Obed Calvaire, Reggie Workman, Vinnie Harper, Charles Tolliver, Gerard D’Angelo, and Gary Dow.
The song leading out of the interview is “Rezo” from King Klave’s self titled album.
