#330 Julian Loida- Percussionist, Podcaster, Composer and More!
This week’s guest is Julian Loida. Called “one of the Boston music scene's most valuable players” by The Art Fuse, Julian Loida is a percussionist, composer, and producer. Loida’s musical curiosity and open-mindedness has propelled him towards a wide-range of sounds, genres, and artistic endeavors. He’s performed jazz, folk, and classical, collaborating with dancers, visual artists, songwriters/composers, and musicians of all stripes. The thirst to participate in and experience this range of sounds is partly a product of Loida’s synesthesia. Music is a full- body experience for him, with sounds often invoking involuntary sensations of color, texture, or even taste.
Loida often writes and arranges for his projects and ensembles (the Cuban/Brazilian band INÃ, jazz quintet Mojubá, chamber-folk band Night Tree), and his music has been featured in film, ads, and dance performances. His interdisciplinary projects aim at breaking down artistic barriers. The evening-length solo-project Recital of Dedications incorporates speech, visual media, and music into a series of dedications to individuals, historical moments, and more. In 2018, he released the album Bach LIVE!, featuring J.S. Bach’s music arranged for percussion. Loida’s 2019 release, Wallflower, marks his solo-album debut, and also provides the clearest distillation of his voice as a composer to date. Loida’s discography continues to grow with singles and EP’s featuring vibraphone and electronics to solo piano. Julian is preparing to release his second full-length solo record in the spring of 2023.
Loida has toured internationally as a featured artist at Korrö, Sweden’s largest folk music festival, and played some of the most prestigious music festivals in the U.S. such as Spoleto, New World Festival, the Exit Zero jazz festival, Caramoor American Roots Festival, and Round Top Music Festival. He has performed with groups such as Alarm Will Sound, Castle of Our Skins, Parsonsfield, the Callithumpian Consort, Tonina Saputo, Fabiola Mendez, Veronica Robles, Taylor Ashton, Alkinoos Ioannidis, the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra, The New Bedford Symphony, and MassOpera.
As an educator, Loida shares his scores and deep rhythmic knowledge with students of all ages. In 2017, he received his Master’s Degree in Classical Percussion from New England Conservatory.
Happy Birthday!
Happy Birthday to Ron Powell! Ron is a skilled percussionist, accomplished musician, clinician, author and exciting performer. He has toured the world since 1978 and has worked with over a hundred great artists, the most notable being, Madonna, Kenny G., Diana Ross, Sergio Mendes and most recently Brian Hughes.
Through his experience with Sergio, Ron learned the intricacies of Brazilian percussion. He has also played with Tania Maria, Oscar Castro-Neves, and his own band, L.A. Samba, and made special appearances with Gilberto Gil, Ivan Lins, Djavan and Samba School Villa Isabelle. Ron's versatility and showmanship have made him one of the most sought after percussionists in the world.
Ron is well studied in Afro-Latin percussion and has performed with Santana, El Chicano and Miami Sound Machine, Earth Wind & Fire, Black Eyed Peas, Rascal Flatts, and many others.
Ron has participated in many music related projects, which include the coordination of the African drum section of the Lion King Parade at Disneyland in California. He attributes his success in the music industry to his love for performing, sharing percussion and music.
Ron's equipment list changes with each playing situation, however he feels that LP is the only company with the variety and quality of instruments to fulfill his needs. Ron has been an LP artist for over 30 years.
Happy Birthday to Dominique Thomas! Dom is a dedicated percussionist from Philadelphia who began to travel & study percussion at the age of 14. He and his mom traveled to Senegal & Mali West Africa to study drum and dance with the National Ballet of Mali along with other masters. He then attended Berklee college of Music to further his studies.
Teachers He continued to learn under some of the greatest players such as Giovanni Hidalgo, Horacio Hernendez, and great friend and mentor Doc Gibbs of the “Emeril Live” cooking show.
Experience Dom has played with a number of groups and bands in and around the tri-state area, starting with his mother as the lead drummer of a West African drum and dance group called “Kuumba”. He later toured with the Apollo Circus of Soul band as the percussionist. Continuing on his journey Dom has played with some of the top hip/hop & R&B artist such as Questlove & Black Thought from the Legendary Roots Crew, Mos Def, Raheem DeVaughn, K’Jon, Syleena Johnson, Kindred The Family Soul, touring and performing on “Dancing with the stars & Jay Leno” with Grammy award winning R&B singer Maxwell, ended 2013 on a 16 city tour with Grammy nominated R&B artist Jaheim. In 2014 also performed in Johannesburg, South Africa with Jaheim. In 2015 played on “Jimmy Kimmel” & Centric presents the “Soul Train Awards” with Philly’s own Jill Scott, all which landed me a full time spot as her percussionist. In March 2016 he also landed the position playing for Eminem and did the 2016 South American Lollapalooza Tour. The entire summer of 2016 we toured Europe (North Sea Jazz Festival) & the US with Jill Scott also doing shows in Tokyo, Japan. October 2016 performed on the Ellen Degeneres show with John Legend which landed me the full time percussion position. In 2017 I toured more than half the year starting in the U.S., Europe, and South Africa with John Legend as well as doing a show in Hawaii while finishing the year touring with Jill Scott. February 2018 we did the Dubai jazz festival with John Legend as well as a month long Asia tour. We also did U.S. tour with Jill Scott and currently gearing up for a end of the year/U.S. Christmas tour with John Legend.
Happy Birthday to Marcos Lopez! Marcos is one of the most promising multi-genre percussionists that broke through the music scene out of his native Puerto Rico. He's armed with a reputation for his profound ability to transition seamlessly between diverse styles with great precision, thanks to a history of great and abundant influences from every part of the world. Marcos is leading an inspiring movement among the musicians of this time that has broad implications for the modern percussion performers.
Lopez began to make his path known with the salsa group N’Klabe. Following its inception, he has become unstoppable. He has toured and performed with figures like Cuban superstar Issac Delgado, Puerto Rican all-stars Wisin & Yandel and salsa veterans like Victor Manuelle, Gilberto Santa Rosa, Tony Vega, Andy Montañez, Ismael Miranda, La India and Tito Nieves in venues like the Madison Square Garden, Lincoln Center and the Carnegie Hall. Marcos has also appeared in ABC’s Good Morning America and the Late Night Show with Seth Meyers along pop duo Karmin.
As a Berklee College of Music alumni and after only 4 years as a New Yorker, Marcos Lopez has expanded his frontiers as a percussionist. He has appeared in countless recordings, including his contribution and featuring in major studio projects including Ceremony with Nea jazz master Dave Liebman, which was released in November 2014 and Maldades with Grammy winning artists Humberto Ramirez and Oskar Cartaya, released in 2015. He has become a member of the Max Weinberg Orchestra and has also been on tour with Multi-Grammy award winner Lila Downs, superstar Thalia as well as with the Grammy nominee band Plena Libre.
Thanks to family influences, including his grandfather Sammy Ayala, who was one of the founders of Cortijo y su Combo, Marcos began playing caribbean percussion instruments at age two. At age seven, he got into the Conservatory of Music in Puerto Rico and at age twelve he was accepted in the Escuela Libre de Musica where he trained in classical percussion, graduating in 2006. Within that time, in 2005, he won a full scholarship from Berklee College of Music, from which he obtained his bachelor’s degree in Music Business & Management in 2011.
While at Berklee, Marcos was part of “La Timbistica”, a group of Latin Jazz with worldwide influences that represented the talent of the renowned college. They headlined the Heineken Jazz Fest in Puerto Rico, the Monterey Jazz Fest in California, the Duke Ellington Jazz Festival in Washington D.C, the Saratoga Jazz Festival in NY,and many more. They were awarded Downbeat Magazine’s 2008 Jazz Group of the Year Award in the collegiate category.
As an educator, he has given percussion clinics and performances at The Montreal Drum Fest, PASIC, Berklee College of Music and in the Percussion Festival in The Puerto Rico Conservatory of Music.
Marcos is continually working to reach new levels, musically and artistically. His evolution rests on a solid foundation layered with diligence and a strong work ethic that has been nourished by all his years in the music industry. These qualities manifest themselves in a form of professionalism rarely found in musicians his age and make him a treasure among the percussionists of this era.
Happy Birthday to Weedie Braimah! Weedie Braimah is a young premiere master of the djembe. He began his career at the early age of two, born in Ghana, where he was first introduced to West African culture and drumming. In East St. Louis, which is considered home for Braimah, he began his life long quest and professional career in the study of cultural music of the diasporas. A maverick performer of the highest caliber, Braimah has an almost insatiable knack to draw the entire audience into his grove, zigzagging through Africa on a breathtaking rhythmic roller coaster.
Braimah comes from a long lineage of musicians; including his mother, a respected jazz drummer and his father, a world renowned composer and master drummer. Having studied with the greats such as Mamady Keita, Famadou Konate, Abdoul Doumbia, and Fadouba Oulare just to name a few, it was no surprise that Braimah excelled musically and became well known on the drum and dance circuit. Braimah has been a performer, teacher and preserver of African culture for over 20 years and continues to peruse new musical journeys every day.
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
Gig Alerts
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.
The New Orleans Jazz and Heritage festival is going on this week, as well as other musical events around the city.
Damon has a bunch of upcoming gigs this month that are public. Starting with Cinco de Mayo with Fuzz. Damon and friend of the show, Eric Kalb, will be playing with Fuzz at the FTC Warehouse in Fairfield, CT.
Julian is planning an upcoming tour to support his new release. You can see upcoming dates by CLICKING HERE.
Educational Spotlight
Students — If you are looking for a way to attend the best event in percussion this year, apply for a PASIC 2023 Scholarship. They open today and applications are due at the end of July. Learn more HERE and scroll down. Good luck!
Iconic Recording
The iconic recording, chosen by Julian is “Offering” by Ravi Shankar and Phillip Glass from the ‘Passages’ album.
Also performing on this album are: Tim Baker · Barry Finclair · Mayuki Fukuhara · Regis Iandiorio · Karen Karlsud · Sergiu Schwartz · Masako Yanagita · Al Brown · Richard Sortomme · Seymour Barab · Beverly Laudrisen · Fred Zlotkin · Joe Carver · Theresa Norris · Jack Kripl · Jon Gibson · Richard Peck · Lenny Pickett · Peter Gordon · Ron Sell · Keith O'Quinn · Alan Raph · Gorden Gottleib · Jeanie Gagne · Michael Riesman · S.P. Balasubrahmanyam · Madras Choir · Madras · Ronu Mazumdar · Shubho Shankar · Partha Sarathy · T. Srinivasan · Abhiman Kaushal
Music News
Senators Target ‘The Clear Excesses and Abuses of Ticketmaster’ With the ‘Unlock Ticketing Markets Act’. Amid continued controversy over the business practices and alleged market dominance of Live Nation’s Ticketmaster, lawmakers have formally introduced legislation (the “Unlock Ticketing Markets Act”) that they say would “help restore competition to live event ticketing.” -Article
The bipartisan ‘TICKET Act’ would force ticketing companies to disclose all fees and charges upfront. Senators Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Maria Cantwell (D-WA) introduced the legislation to require all ticket sellers to display the total ticket price including all fees in any advertisements or marketing materials. Congress previously address all-inclusive tickets with airline fees, now it is turning an eye to this practice with the TICKET Act. -Article
In November, the day after Live Nation reported its “highest quarterly attendance ever,” the White House pledged to crack down on “processing fees on concert tickets.” Now, the president is calling for Congress to pass the Junk Fee Prevention Act. -Article
Julian Loida Interview
The music leading into and out of the interview is Julian’s latest release, “Giverny” where he uses the piano and it’s percussive aspects.
Damon and Julian connected after Julian listened to the Jeremy Smith episode.
Julian started his own podcast called “A Millennial Musician”.
Damon and Julian talk about millennials and xennials.
Julian’s mom was a teacher and his dad was a scientist.
Julian talks about how he found music from the radio and an introduction from his dad who played in a band.
Julian grew up in St. Louis, MO, specifically Kirkwood. Shout-out to Kirkwood High School.
Julian started on electric guitar. Then moved to bass guitar and then drumset around 15. Then he moved to doumbek, congas at 16, and ultimately classical percussion around 17.
Julian attended Indiana University for his undergraduate degree.
Julian talks about how competitive and hard it is to find classical music gigs. You can find some gig listings at the website: Musical Chairs. There are other things listed (like performances, masterclasses and competitions) over at Bach Track.
Julian talks about his practice and working through injuries.
Julian talks about expanding to world music and world percussion from the classical side of things. Shout-out to (friend of the show) Michael Spiro for some of that inspiration.
Damon brings up frame drums around the world that he talked about with (friend of the show) Glen Velez.
Shout-out to the tambourine.
Damon and Julian both talk about being left-handed. Also, marching percussion guidelines vs the soloistic approach of classical playing.
Julian’s album is coming out MAY 19th. He talks about how he is planning and booking the forthcoming tour.
Julian currently resides on the cape (Cape Cod).
Julian and Damon talk about merch sales in the new era of digital streaming. There’s also lots of good information in this seminar by Martin Atkins.
Julian talks about the importance of knowing his audience and catering to them.
Julian went to New England Conservatory for his masters degree.
Julian worked at Club Passim.
Julian talks about the piano, especially as a percussionist.
Julian started working in sync licensing with his music.
Shout-out to Gratitude Sound.
Julian picks out the iconic recording for the week.
Here’s a couple recipes that Damon uses a lot.
White BBQ Dipping Sauce for Pork or Poultry
1 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tablespoon powdered garlic
1 tablespoon prepared horseradish
1 tablespoon coarsely ground black pepper
1 teaspoon mustard powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon finely ground cayenne pepper
Do this
1) Whisk together all the ingredients in a large bowl and refrigerate in a jar overnight if possible to allow the flavors to meld.
Brown Sugar/Cayenne Rub (Damon uses this on so much. Ribs, Chicken, & the Chilean Sea Bass)
1/2 c Paprika
1/4 c Salt
1/4 c White Sugar
2 Tbsp Mustard Powder
1/4 c Chili Powder
1/4 c Cumin
2 Tbsp Black Pepper
1/4 c Garlic Powder
2 Tbsp Cayenne Powder
1/2 c Brown Sugar
2 Tsp Onion Powder
2 Tsp Celery Seed
Shout-out to Ed Soph.
Shout-out to Pearl/Adams percussion and all of Julian’s teachers!
You can follow Julian on his Website, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and check out his Podcast.
