#329 Ricardo "Tiki" Pasillas- Drummer, Percussionist, Vocalist and More!
This week’s guest is Ricardo “Tiki” Pasillas. Tiki Pasillas is multi-talented. He is a drummer, multi-percussionist, and vocalist, who has been performing professionally in Los Angeles for the past 16 years. Born in Oakland California on August 17, 1968, commonly known as 'Tiki'. The nickname was bestowed on him during childhood by his older cousin Jesus (aka Pipo) because pronouncing Ricardo or Ricky was rather difficult for Pipo. The nickname stuck and Ricardo has been called 'Tiki' ever since.
Tiki's parents, Jose Luis and Rosa Maria had four other children: George, Edward, Carlos, and Rosa Angelica. The Pasillas parents insisted that their family learn a musical instrument. With their encouragement, the four siblings formed a band called Los Hermanos Pasillas. George played his Fender Jaguar electric guitar and was the band's MC, Eddie played his Buscher alto sax and did vocals, Carlos played drums, and Rosa was the lead singer and organ player. They were a busy young professional band, playing mostly Mexican weddings and parties.
Some of the parties got the best of Carlos the drummer, who according to legend fell asleep behind his Marine Pearl Ludwig drum kit during a function. Tiki came along about 10 years after Rosa and would later teach himself how to play drums on that same set of drums. His brother still owns that drum kit. Through out their musical career Tiki started to accompany them. His mother says that Tiki's tummy would move with the music when he was an infant.
As he continued to tag along with his older siblings, Tiki's natural talent began to bloom. While the band played a Cumbia, Tiki kept time on the high hat, a pretty amazing feat considering he was no taller than the high hat itself. As soon as the song lost his interest, Tiki would return to being a typical energetic kid. This could happen at the end of the song, the middle of the song, or shortly after the song began. Collecting plastic champagne corks that looked liked miniature chef hats for each finger, sliding across the dance floor on his knees, and of course inventing adventures around the dance hall with his cousins and friends were more important at that moment but the musical seed had already been planted.
The first instruments that Ricardo "Tiki" Pasillas studied were the piano and the guitar. His mother arranged for Tiki to study with Mr. Juan Silva the same gentleman who had taught Tiki's brothers and sister to play. Mr. Silva is clearly remembered by the family Pasillas for his cigarette ashes falling in between the black and whites of the Fender Rhodes electric piano. Though he endeavored to play these instruments, Tiki's natural strength was in his drumming abilities. At the age of 7 the family Pasillas moved to a suburb near San Jose.
Tiki's interest in drums started to take hold. Mickey Laure was the leader of a Cumbia band. Though they were a Mexican band, they were very tropical. Tiki was most impressed by Mickey's awesome timbal solo. It left a lasting impression on young Tiki and long before he had heard of Tito Puente. Sonora Santanera, another Mexican band, played strickly tropical music from guajira-cha to mambos with an occasional meregue. The songs, the trumpets, and above all, the sounds of the percussion captured his attention.
Concert band, Jazz Ensemble, Marching band, Jazz Choir, Symphonic Band and Theater Arts all shaped Tiki's early music education. At age 11 the Latin Percussion driven San Jose Raiders Drum and Bugle Corps gave him a strong foundation in discipline. Says Tiki: "Bob Calcauphin was an original snare drummer from the Troopers, an excellent drum and bugle corp out of Wyoming. He was a hard-ass. He said that he would break my arm one time because of a wise crack I had said while he was yelling at the corps. Later on in high school he instructed the drum line for a spell. I learned alot from him and credit him for kickin' my ass in learning how to get straight to the point and play well and hard. High school marching band was a breeze because of the corp foundation."
Ricardo "Tiki" Pasillas became quite the acclaimed musician, having won numerous awards and trophies through out his high school years including a Berklee College of Music summer scholarship. Tiki played a couple of local college bands. Barely getting his feet wet out of high school, he started Freelancing with a top 40 band and occasionally with bass player Curtis Olson through whom he played with Rosie Gains, Andy Narell, and Bradford Marsalis. Olsen's drummer, Billy "Shoes" Johnson would always be there to give Tiki and occasional tip or lesson without knowing that he was giving it.
After playing semi-professionally in the Bay Area, Ricardo "Tiki" Pasillas moved to Hollywood to attend Musician's Institute. While there he was the recipient of the Latin Stylist Award. Tiki joined a top 40 band called Paper Doll. He played drums and sang with this group five nights a week. Says Tiki "I learned how to use my diaphragm because I had to play drums and belt out the lead vocals at the same time". He dedicated the rest of the year to finishing at MI. Upon finishing, Tiki started to teach there. Word of mouth took its rounds and gave him work. "When Lambada came out it gave me quite a bit of work Ha Ha, but it's true." Tiki started playing in the Brazilian community with fresh new talent from Brazil such as Katia Moraes who asked Tiki to help her in putting together a new band called The Rio Thing. They were a smokin' little Samba band that dissipated just in time for Tiki to make himself available to the Latin bands of Los Angeles. Son Mayor, a group fronted by the brothers Ortiz, was Tiki's first solid salsa band experience. With Alfred Ortiz close to him, they both learned a variety from each other for years to come. Working for a variety of employers, including Susie Hansen one of the hardest working band leaders, started Tiki's upward spiral into the music scene with musicians such as Buddy Rich's bassist Curtis Olsen, Alex Acuña, Justo Almario, and Abraham LaBoriel just to name a few.
Tiki is a well-respected musician with world-wide recognition, and is a frequent studio contributor to records, films, jingles and voice-overs. He along with his lovely wife Maria and their children are great contributors to the Los Angeles music scene.
R.I.P.
Ralph Humphrey was a working professional drummer and teacher in Los Angeles. His background includes a variety of drumming experiences. His earlier work with the Don Ellis Big Band and Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention, among others, has given him the knowledge and expertise to speak, teach and write on the subject of rhythm and its application in modern drumming.
Ralph maintained a very active career in the recording industry, played for a variety of motion picture and TV and record projects. Most recent productions include the hit show Americian Idol (2002-2004), American Jrs. (2003-2004), The Emmys (2002-2004), Star Trek Enterprise, The Simpsons, Charmed, Family Guy, American Dad, etc. His recording and touring career spans nearly 40 years and includes performing with jazz notables such as Wayne Shorter, Al Jarreau, Toshiko Akiyoshi and Lou Tabakin, Manhattan Transfer, Natalie Cole, Free Flight, Pete Christlieb, Joe Farrell, Tierney Sutton, Alphonso Johnson, Milcho Leviev, Alan Pasqua and an assortment of mainstream artists as well, including Seals and Crofts, Barbara Streisand, Jose Feliciano, Bette Midler, Captain and Tenille, Richard Carpenter, Rita Coolidge, etc.
Ralph can be heard on Millers’s recent release titled ‘Save the Moon’ on the Marsis Jazz label, and on the Babaghanoush release titled ‘Aphrodite Moves On’. Prasanna’s new CD is titled ‘Be The Change’ and features Alphonso Johnson, Antti Suzuki and Victor Wooten.
In addition to his performing career, Ralph teachesdand headed the drum dept. at the prestigious Los Angeles Music Academy, an accredited one-year vocational school for drums, guitar, bass and vocals, located in Pasadena, Ca. He and long-time partner Joe Porcaro are the authors of drum curriculum at the school, which includes Playing Techniques, Jazz and Rock styles, Rhythm Studies and Ensemble Techniques. Before that, he and Joe were responsible for creating and designing the drum program for the Percussion Institute of Technology, a part of the Musicians Institute in Hollywood, Ca. Ralph taught the program and headed the department from 1980-1996.
Ralph has authored a method book for drummers, published by Barnhouse in 1980 titled, ‘Even in the Odds’, which explores odd rhythms and meters.
Happy Birthday!
Happy Birthday to Horacio “El Negro” Hernandez! Drummer, composer, arranger and producer Horacio “El Negro” Hernandez has been a driving force behind some of the most popular and influential Latin and Latin-fused music of the past two decades. Since leaving Cuba in 1990 his drumming has propelled the efforts of Grammy Award winners Michel Camilo, Roy Hargrove, Chucho Valdes, Gary Burton, Alejandro Sanz and Carlos Santana, as well as Paquito D’Rivera and Gonzalo Rubalcaba. Hernandez is identified by his unique “Latin Fusion” style, melding the folkloric clave with the fierce punch, crisp snap and deep grooves of today’s Jazz, Pop, and Rock.
Hernandez first gained international recognition as drummer for the legendary pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba and his band, Proyecto. Once in the US, Hernandez – known internationally simply as “El Negro” – began contributing to some of the most extraordinary performances of the era, both live and in studio releases. Carlos Santana’s Supernatural (1999), a nine Grammy Award winner; Alejandro Sanz’ No Es Lo Mismo (2003), winner of four Grammy awards; Eddie Palmieri’s Listen Here! (2005); Gary Burton’s For Hamp, Red, Bags, and Cal (2001) all bear the stamp of El Negro’s percussion artistry. His own awards include a shared Grammy with Crisol, Roy Hargrove’s band on Habana (1997), as well as a Grammy for the 2003 Live at the Blue Note, with Michel Camilo on piano and Charles Flores on bass. - Read More
Happy Birthday to Dr. Brian Zator! Brian is the Director of Percussion at Texas A&M University-Commerce and a Past-President of the Percussive Arts Society. At A&M-Commerce, he coordinates all percussion activities including Percussion Ensemble I, II, & III, Drumline, "Panimation" and Pan2 Steel Drum Bands, “Samba LeÁ£o” Brazilian Ensemble, undergraduate and graduate applied lessons, and the percussion methods and literature courses. He earned his Bachelor of Music Education degree from Baylor University, Master of Music degree from the University of Michigan, and his Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of North Texas. He is also a student of world-renowned marimba artist, Keiko Abe, having performed and studied with her in Japan.
As a marimba/percussion soloist or ensemble director, Dr. Zator has performed at seven Percussive Arts Society International Conventions (PASIC), the Texas Music Educators Association Convention, the Texas Bandmasters Association Convention, the College Band Directors National Association Convention, the North Texas Keyboard Percussion Symposium, as well as abroad in China, Brazil, Japan, Australia, Switzerland, Argentina and Luxembourg. He has been a soloist with groups such as the Lone Star Wind Orchestra, the University of North Texas Wind Symphony, the Baylor Woodwind Quintet, the A&M-Commerce Wind Bands, the Conroe and The Woodlands Symphonies, and with college and high school percussion ensembles around the country. He made his Carnegie Hall debut with the A&M-Commerce Wind Ensemble in the spring of 2012.
Dr. Zator and the A&M-Commerce percussion ensemble were one of the three winners of the 2010 PAS International Percussion Ensemble Competition and performed a showcase concert at PASIC 2010. In 2012 they released “Epic Proportions,” featuring music from their showcase concert. The ensemble also presented a concert at PASIC 2006 featuring works of Minoru Miki and in 2007, released a CD entitled “Sohmon III: New and Unknown Percussion Works of Minoru Miki.
Dr. Zator has two solo CD's released on Equilibrium Records: “Zamiki: Music for Solo Marimba” and a chamber-works CD entitled, “Zoomorphs”. He is the author of the method book, "Keyboard Fundamentals with Play-Along Tracks", published by Innovative Percussion. He is also the author and performer on several iBook publications providing detailed video instructions and full-length performances for popular marimba solos including Yellow After the Rain, Rain Dance, Sea Refractions, and The Tempest. He was a member of The Cavaliers Drum and Bugle Corps and taught the University of Michigan drumline. Active within the Percussive Arts Society (PAS), he currently serves as Immediate Past-President on the Executive Committee and Keyboard Editor for Percussive Notes. He has also served on the PAS Board of Directors, the Keyboard and Percussion Ensemble Committees, written reviews for Percussive Notes, and has adjudicated the PAS International Percussion Ensemble, Composition, and Solo Marimba competitions. Dr. Zator is proud to be a performing artist and clinician for Innovative Percussion, Evans, Sabian, and Black Swamp.
Happy 100th birthday to Tito Puente! Billboard has put together A PLAYLIST of popular Tito tunes and Latin Percussion has released a centennial collection of instruments.
Gig Alerts
Bryant Park in NYC has released their summer concert schedule.
Central Park’s Summerstage has released its summer concert schedule.
Avishai Cohen (Bass) is at the Blue Note in NYC all week with: Abraham Rodriguez Jnr - Congas,Vocals (USA),
Horacio ' El Negro' Hernandez - Drums, Percussion (Cuba), Yosvany Terry - Saxophone / Chekere (Cuba), Diego Urcola - Trumpet / Trombone (Argentina), Virginia Alves - Vocals (Spain), and Jose Angel- Vocals and Percussion (Cuba).
The Blue Note Jazz Festival Napa is happening July 28th-30th and has announced their lineup. Friends of the show Weedie Braimah and Nate Werth will be there with their bands, The Hands of Time and Ghost Note respectively.
Head to the Cutting Room in NYC for GRETSCH NIGHT IN NEW YORK CITY! A special one-night-only event to celebrate 140 years of Gretsch Drums history, featuring performances by revered drummers Will Calhoun, Nate Wood, Mark Guiliana, Bill Stewart and special guests.
Damon and friend of the show, Eric Kalb, will be playing with Fuzz at the FTC Warehouse in Fairfield, CT on Cinco de Mayo.
You can attend Zildjian Cymbals’ 400th anniversary celebration at Tipitina’s in New Orleans during Jazz Fest. It will be on May 2nd from 3-5pm!
Some friends of the show will be performing, including: Taku Hirano, Pedro Segundo, and Joe Dyson.
Educational Spotlight
DEADLINE IS THIS SUNDAY to register for the International Percussion Ensemble, apply for most PAS Scholarships, and apply for a PAS Committee. Learn more and apply at these links:
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Iconic Recording
The song Tiki chose is “Just Kidding” by Michel Camilo, performed by Paquito D’Rivera and his group from the album ‘Explosion’. On this album playing congas and percussion is (friend of the show) Sammy Figueroa, on drums is Steve Gadd, and also on drums and percussion is Portinho
As and honorable mention for iconic recording, Tiki mentions the album “Cañoneo”. On this album are:
Bass – David Belove
Bata Iya - Harold Muñiz
Bata Okonkolo – Michael Lannon
Congas, Bata Itotele, Percussion – (friend of the show) Michael Spiro
Drums – Ed Smith
Flugelhorn – Mark Isham
Guitar – Jeff Buenz
Keyboards – Paul Potyen
Steel Drums – Andy Narell
Tenor Saxophone
Flute – Charlie McCarthy
Music News
Instagram now allows up to five links in a user bio, but is this bad news for the smartlink solutions economy?
Instagram announced earlier this week the rollout of a new feature enabling users to add up to five links to their profile bios, allowing more ways for users to direct their followers to their online businesses or other content. The company touts this as a top request among creators, but such a late rollout punches down at alternative solutions that have long thrived under Instagram’s failure to adapt to its community’s needs. -Article
Rest in peace to Harry Belafonte who passed away at age 96. You can watch all three parts of the documentary he hosted on Latin Music called Roots of Rhythm.
Tiki Pasillas Interview
The song leading into the interview is “She Bangs” by Ricky Martin, which Tiki played on.
Shout-out to Marc Quiñones for the initial connection to Tiki.
Tiki mentions growing up in the Bay (Oakland) area of California and some of the albums and artists he was listening to.
Tiki attended the Musician’s Institute. He then started subbing for (friend of the show) Richie “Gajate” Garcia.
Damon brings up reading liner notes. The places he finds for album credits are Wikipedia, Discogs, All Music, and YouTube.
Tiki talks about album credits.
Damon and Tiki talk about stages of playing in life and what he defines as success.
Tiki talks about his non relation to Incubus drummer, Jose Pasillas.
Tiki taught for a little while at Pasadena City College.
Tiki explains his nickname.
Tiki talks about his family band, Los Hermanos Pasillas. He talks about how he got started from his siblings.
Tiki talks about heading into San Fransisco to see musicians like friends of the show, Michael Spiro and Karl Perazzo.
Tiki was a member of the San Jose Raiders.
Tiki shouts-out some bay area percussionists, including friend of the show, John Santos.
Damon brings up that Tiki was in a dixieland band in high school that played at an ice cream parlor. He talks about what made up his kit.
Tiki attended James Logan High School in Union City California.
Shout-out to Efrain Cantu.
Tiki talks about his drum corps experience.
Tiki talks about his limb independence and how he developed it.
Tiki talks about being well rounded and also the importance of singing.
Tiki chooses the iconic recording(s).
Tiki uses Latin Percussion instruments, Gretsch drums, Zildjian cymbals, Vic Firth sticks and mallets, Cympads, Drum dots, Gibraltar hardware, Earthworks microphones, JP Cases, Ultimate Ears in ear monitors, and shout-out to DW drums and Roland electronics.
Thanks to (friend of the show) Steve Houghton, Joey Heredia, Efrain Toro, (friend of the show) Alex Acuna, Airto Moreira, the late (friend of the show) Ralph Irizarry, and the late Jimmy Morarles.
