#275 Daniel Prim- Percussionist and Drummer for Tambor y Caña, MakeWar & More!
This week’s episode is sponsored by Dream Cymbals. Check out their upcoming Tasting Tour.
This week’s guest is Daniel Prim. Daniel is a Venezuelan percussionist and drummer specializing in jazz, Latin, and Afro-Venezuelan music. Born and raised in Caracas, Venezuela, he started his music studies at 12 years old at Jose Reina Music School. Years later, he attended the Simon Bolivar Conservatory Music, part of the National Youth and Children's Orchestras of Venezuela, “El Sistema”, created by maestro Jose Antonio Abreu. He has been part of seminars and workshops taught by world-renowned musicians including Nicolás Folmer, Stafford Hunter, Edward Simon, James Zollar, and Rolando Briceño.
In 2013, Daniel moved to Los Angeles to study under the mentorship of drummer Jeff Hamilton. Currently, Daniel resides in New York City, performing with such luminaries as Victor Wooten, Luis Perdomo, Stafford Hunter, Etienne Charles, Roberto Quintero, Roy Wooten, Edmar Castañeda, Dayna Stephens, and others.
In addition to his formal training, Daniel has studied and mastered the traditional drumming of his Afro-Venezuelan roots and has taught master classes in Afro-Venezuelan drumming at Berklee College of Music and Salem State University. Upon moving to New York, Daniel co-founded the group Tambor y Caña, which performs Afro-Venezuelan tambor music. In his own projects, Daniel seeks to mix Afro-Venezuelan rhythms and instrumentation with jazz composition and technique.
Happy Birthday!
Happy Birthday to Bruno Esrubilsky. Bruno is an Argentine born-Brazilian raised drummer and percussionist based in Brooklyn, NYC.
Graduated from Berklee College of Music in Boston, Bruno moved to New York in 2011. Since then, Bruno has toured every continent of the world, played drums on the hit Broadway show Hedwig and The Angry Inch (4x Tony Awards winner), appeared on many TV shows (credit list below), has performed at festivals such as Coachella, Lollapalooza, Austin City Limits, Bonnaroo, Outside Lands, Java Jazz Festival (Indonesia), Fuji Rock Festival (Japan) and legendary concert venues such as Radio City Music Hall (NYC), Red Rocks Amphitheater, Ryman Auditorium (Nashville), Kennedy Center (DC), Central Park SummerStage (NYC) and The Filmore (San Francisco). Recording credits include records in the USA, Japan, Argentina and Brazil (more in MUSIC section).
Bruno has played on countless headlining and supporting tours (including Lorde, Adam Lambert, Amos Lee, Grouplove, Neon Trees and more). During the Fall 2018, Bruno wrapped MITSKI’s sold out Be The Cowboy 2018 Europe/North America Tour, including a 4 night sold out stint at Brooklyn Steel.
Throughout 2019, Bruno toured the world twice over with indie-rocker Mitski, performing at some of the world’s biggest stages and festivals, while also touring on the side with Jake Clemons of Bruce Springsteen’s band and performing with British artist YUNGBLUD. Bruno also taped Austin City Limits Live at The Moody Theater in Austin, Texas, with Mitski, which aired on January 18th 2020; and was featured on the September issue of Modern Drummer Magazine
Happy Birthday to Rob Humphreys. Rob doesn’t have a bio online, but you can check out his credits HERE.
Happy Birthday to Randy Schrager. Randy was the touring and studio drummer for electro dance-pop band Scissor Sisters, known on stage as ‘Randy Real’. He can be heard on the band’s release Night Work and he toured the world with the band in support of the album. Randy has also toured and recorded with critically acclaimed New York rocker Jesse Malin and his band The St. Marks Social, playing drums on his release Love It To Life. When not on the road, Randy can be found playing and recording with a number of independent artists in the NYC area.
Gig Alerts
If you are interested in joining the trip with Kosa to Cuba for the Matanzas Jazz Festival
April 28th-May 5th, 2022, CLICK HERE, fill in all the fields and then email it to: info@kosamusic.com.
Friend of the show, Weedie Braimah is playing at the Blue Note NYC with his group and special guests. If you would like to attend, CLICK HERE.
Educational Spotlight
The 43rd annual LHS Summer Marimba Seminar will take place June 6-17, 2022. Percussionists college-aged and older are invited to join us for 10 days of study with marimba virtuoso and pioneer Leigh Howard Stevens. The LHS Seminar will cover a wide variety of topics, including: technique, memorization systems, tone production, repertoire, acoustics, practice techniques, career development, history and more! This year’s LHS Seminar features the following guest artists:
Michael Burritt (Marimba/Percussion Soloist, Eastman School of Music)
Susan Powell (Xylophone Virtuoso, Sympatico Percussion Group, The Ohio State University)
Warren Wolf (Vibraphone Soloist, Multi-Instrumentalist)
Eric Sammut (France-based Marimba Soloist, Orchestre de Paris)
Hyeji Bak (Korea-based Marimba/Percussion Soloist)
John Parks (Audio Recording Guru, Florida State University)
Tatiana Koleva (Netherlands-based Marimba Soloist)
In 2022, the LHS Seminar will be hybrid, as all sessions will be presented in-person to a limited group in New Jersey, as well as streamed through the Zoom videoconferencing platform.
CLICK HERE for more info.
If you would like to learn more about a Percussive Arts Societies committee activities, click this link HERE, or contact the chair of the committee via email. If you are interested in committee service and want to view how committees are structured and operate, you may view the Committee Chairs' Handbook. To serve on a PAS committee, candidates will electronically submit the PAS Committee Application within the application window, which is April 1 to April 30. A detailed timeline for the selection process can be found at THIS LINK.
PAS has 16 standing committees that address specific areas of percussion performance, research, education, pedagogy and the percussion community. PAS committees play an essential role in advancing percussion through the development and dissemination of the latest information, research and initiatives.
If you are interested in serving on a committee, submit application materials using THIS LINK once the application window has become available. Please note: you must be an active PAS Member to serve on a committee.
Iconic Recording
The iconic recording this week is “El Hacha” performed by Un Solo Pueblo, from the album ‘Venezuela’.
Music News
Here’s the full list of categories, nominees, and of course, winners, for the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards. -Article and Awards.
A “Concert for Ukraine” charity event that featured live performances from Camila Cabello, Nile Rodgers, Ed Sheeran, and Snow Patrol has raised £13.4 million (about $17.65 million at the present exchange rate) for the UK’s Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC). -Article
Daniel Prim Interview
The song leading into the interview is Afro - Venezolano with Carlos Talez.
Damon initially got recommended to Daniel about finding quitiplas, an Afro-Venzuelan style of music using Bamboo.
Daniel talks a little about the Venezuelan cuatro (similar in size to a ukulele). The Cuatro is normally to be tuned with a reentrant tuning ADF#B with B an octave lower. It can also be tuned GCEA, but with the last string (the A) an octave lower always, whereas the Ukulele is tuned GCEA but (depending on the type of Ukulele) is tuned with the C (second string) an octave lower instead.
Daniel talks about his Culeo Puyo drums that got cracked because of the weather.
Daniel started at age 3 with music, because of his family.
He later attended the Jose Reina Music School. Classical percussion was first in his path of study. He mentions El Sistema.
The arts are funded and supported by the government now in Venezuela.
After the Jose Reina school, Daniel moved on to the Simon Bolivar Conservatory of Music.
That’s where he moved over to drumset and started playing in the big band jazz orchestra.
Daniel brings up the Buddy Rich Memorial VHS tapes.
He dove deep into fusion and then went back to Elvin Jones, Tony Williams, Philly Jo Jones and even more current drummers like Bill Stewart and Eric Harland.
At the same time, he was still listening to and playing salsa and Afro-Venzeulan music.
Daniel will be playing with the band MakeWar, who are going on tour this summer.
Daniel talks about being a musical chameleon and immersing himself in the particular style he’s playing, but sometimes he likes to sneak in hints of other genres into the music.
Daniel lived in Los Angeles and studied with Jeff Hamilton.
Daniel always wanted to move to NYC, he ended up moving there because of a gig and drove across the country with a friend to do so.
Damon asks about some folkloric styles of Venezuelan music like Joropo Llanero, Parranda and Tambor.
Daniel talks about June 24th, the Saint John the Baptist Celebration in Venezuela
Shout-out to Adolfo Herrera.
Daniel talks about the cumaco drums used in the style of tambor.
Damon mentions some adaptations on Daniel’s kit.
Damon mentions the native Tainos migrating to the Antillies islands from places like Venezuela.
Daniel feels the playing is important, but so is the history of the music.
Daniel picks the iconic recording (see above). Un Solo Pueblo is the (One People of the Town) band.
Daniel teases his new forthcoming album.
Shout-out to Jorge Villarroel Rondon.
One of the groups Daniel enjoys is Son de Chuao. He also recommends watching this Tiny Desk perfomance by Betsayda Machado y Parranda El Clavo.
Daniel uses Bosphorus Cymbals, Innovative Percussion Sticks and Mallets, and Parra Drums.
Damon and Daniel talk about surfing and other musicians that surf.
The song leading out of the interview is “La Guayabalera”.
