This week’s guest is Fabio Oliveria! Dr. Oliveira is a performer and educator with a wide variety of professional experiences as percussionist, improviser and conductor, working regularly in orchestral, chamber, solo and artist accompaniment settings, and navigating consistently between European classical and traditional Brazilian music. Transversing these traditions is an important and distinctive feature of his work. As a scholar, Fabio concentrated in matters related to multiple-percussion performance - dealing with music by Aperghis, Xenakis and Tutschku, preparing performances with live electronics, text translation in Instrumental Musical Theatre, composer-performer collaboration, and instrument building. He's also theorized and published about traditional Brazilian Pagode Music. Dr. Oliveira has recordings released on Tzadik, New World Records and Mode Records.

Since the fall of 2019, Dr. Oliveira has been the Director of Percussion Studies at Rowan University (NJ, USA), as well as a member of the PAS New Music / Research Day Committee. He's also been a percussion judge and consultant to the Samba Carnival Parades in São Paulo, Brazil, since 2017. Between 2009 and 2019 he lead the establishment of a growing community of percussionists residing and creating work in the heart of Brazil, in the town of Goiânia. There he directed percussion and drum-set studies at the Federal University of Goiás (UFG), and co-founded NΞP³, the Nucleus for Excellence in Education, Research and Performance in Percussion. The center aggregates percussion generated musical investigation and performance, and coordinates activities across 4 higher ed campuses. From its creation in 2013, CΞP³ won multiple prizes and awards (FUNARTE, SECULT, MEC), as well as federal and state research grants (CNPQ, CAPES, FAPEG, IFG), with funding of about $1,150,000.

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday to Stephen Bidwell! Stephen was born in Washington, DC, and grew up in the Virginia suburbs. Since first being handed drumsticks in the late 80s he has studied and lived in West Virginia, Pittsburgh, New Orleans, and New York but has called Austin, Texas home since 2005. Somewhere in those travels, he earned a Bachelors’s degree in classical percussion (two of them actually) and a Master’s degree in Jazz studies. Since early 2018 he has been the drummer for the Grammy-nominated Black Pumas, a psychedelic soul group known for incendiary live shows. When not on tour with Black Pumas, Stephen plays in several diverse projects (Hard Proof, The Calm Blue Sea, Azmaris, Mood Illusion), works in any genre you can think of as a sideman and teaches lessons at his home studio.

You can see some of Steve’s interviews and other drum journalism over at ModernDrummer.com, he’s been a contributing writer since 2008.

Happy Birthday to Steve Kroon! Here is his professional bio!

My name is Steven Kroon. I’ve been a professional musician for the last 50 years. I was born in Harlem, and lived there until the age of nine. In 1957, we moved to St. Albans Queens. My experience of being raised in Queens was very influential. At the time, there were many great Jazz and R&B artists living right in our neighborhood. At home I mostly listened to my father’s records, which were Tito Puente, Tito Rodriguez and Machito. Then when I would visit my friends, I would listen to all the great Jazz artists. Right in my neighborhood was Lester Young, Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, Count Basie and many more. Also a great influence on me was the great producer Henry Glover, who lived right on my corner. With all that diversity and style, I would say most of my musical appreciation began with those early years. At this early stage I progressed to playing percussion. My brother Bobby and I would practice along with the recordings of these great artists, then, as I progressed, I undertook studying with various music teachers. A great influence on me was the great Tommy Lopez, Sr. I took conga lessons with him for quite some time, shortly after that I studied with the great percussionist Dom Um Romao.

As my career progressed, I began working with such notables as Luther Van Dross (from 1981 to 2001). I've appeared on seven platinum albums, fifteen world tours, which include two live video performances. Also, an array of television shows from the Tonight Show to David Letterman, Jay Leno, as well as the Grammy’s. I've also performed with Ron Carter from 1987 to 2004, which included extensive tours of the U.S., Japan and Brazil, as well as the well-known NY Jazz scene. Some of the places we've performed include the Village Van Guard, The Irriidium, and The Blue Note chain from the U.S. to Japan. I've also recorded with much of the "Who's Who" in the recording business, names such as Ron Carter, Roberta Flack, Luther Van Dross, Bill Cosby, Aretha Franklin, Diana Krall, Stanley Turrentine, Bette Midler, Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga, just to name a few. I'm also proud to announce that I made the Downbeat Critics pole Rising Star for 2016, and 2017.

For the last Fifteen years, I've been working on my own solo career, which includes having released the following 6 CD’s under my own label Kroonatune Records, LLC: In My Path; Senor Kroon; El Mas Alla (Beyond) ,Without A Doubt, On The One, and my latest "In Your Dreams". At this point in my life, I have chosen to devote my time and creativity to pursue my own career.

Happy Birthday to Steve Jordan! Steve "Getdwa" Jordan is an American multi-instrumentalist, composer, musical director and Grammy Award-winning artist, who has made a name for himself as a producer from the Bronx in New York City. A graduate of the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts, Jordan has also released an instructional program for drummers called The Groove is Here .

Arguably best known by fans as a drummer, Jordan has been a member of several bands and ensembles, and has spent a significant amount of his career backing other famous musicians as a sideman as well as a session player in recording studios. He has gained a good deal of visibility recently as a member, songwriter and co-producer of Keith Richards and the X-pensive Winos, and later, the John Mayer Trio. Shortly afterward, he spent a significant amount of his career backing other luminaries including Eric Clapton in his touring band, touring and recording with others in the studio, while continuing to work a busy schedule as a record producer. -Read More!

Happy Birthday to Matthew-Lee Erlbach! Matthew-Lee is a writer, actor, and filmmaker from Chicago and New York, whose work largely focuses on erased histories as well as the impact of technological revolutions on capital, labor, race, spirituality, and democratic movements. He also writes comedy. It’s dark. He loves pudding.

A proud graduate of the public school system from K-College, Matthew-Lee created a writing program for single mothers transitioning out of homelessness and prison and is a team leader for Habitat for Humanity, locally and globally. He is the Director of Government Affairs and Public Policy for the Arts Hero campaign and co-founder of Arts Workers United, where he is lobbying for a landmark Arts & Culture worker relief bill he co-wrote, called the DAWN (Defend Arts Workers Now) Act.

For his organizing, activism, and policy work on behalf of Arts Workers, he has been interviewed/featured in multiple national media outlets including NPR, MSNBC, CNN, PBS, WGN, Washington Post, New York Times, Chicago Tribune, Crain’s Chicago Business, Chicago Reader, and Playbill, among others. He is also an advocate for ethical AI and ethical transhumanism.

He has received support from the National Endowment for the Arts, Laurents/Hatcher Foundation, Elizabeth F. Cheney Foundation, Puffin Foundation, was a member of Ars Nova's Play Group, MVMNT Theatre’s Play Group, is a HUMANITAS New Voices recipient, and is a proud member of the Dramatist’s Guild, WGA, and SAG-AFTRA.

Matthew is the co-founder of Be An Arts Hero.

Gig Alerts

Save the date! The 8th Annual Love Rocks Concert benefitting God’s Love We Deliver will be happening on March 7th 2024 at the Beacon Theater in NYC.

Bonnaroo announced its lineup for this coming June 13th-16th 2024.

The Boston Calling Festival announced its lineup for this coming Memorial day weekend May 24th-26th.

Damon will be participating in the Montreal Day of Percussion, which is part of “The Space Between”. This will be at McGill University (QC) on January 25-27, 2024. Similar to the previous gathering, this event will feature lectures, demonstrations, performances, and research posters. Organized in collaboration with the Quebec Chapter of the Percussive Arts Society/Day of Percussion 2024 (shout-out to the chapter president/friend of the show, Shawn Mativetsky), this event is open to all percussionists from Canada and abroad. Thanks to a SSHRC Partnership Development Grant (PDG), this event will be free of charge to all participants. The Space Between 2024 will bring together perspectives from both research-creation (i.e., new works for percussion, different approaches to performance) and percussion-focused research (i.e., examining percussionists’ gestures, analyzing percussion acoustics). We aim to explore the “space between” these typically siloed efforts, to build new connections and benefit from a wider range of perspectives and expertise related to the ever-growing world of percussion.

This event will be held through a partnership with the Québec chapter of the Percussive Arts Society Jan 25-26. The Québec Day of Percussion will take place January 27th (info for that event can be found at: DAY OF PERCUSSION. Tickets are AVAILABLE HERE. Other friends of the show that will be participating that weekend are Payton MacDonald and Andrea Venet.

Educational Spotlight

Fabio helps lead a Choro Camp at Smith College in Northampton, MA from June 17th-23rd this summer of 2024.

The instructional program at Choro Camp New England is designed with several goals in mind:

We learn by doing, which is to say, by playing choro.
We seek to engage both experienced chorões and newcomers to the genre.
We recognize choro as incorporating – and, in turn, influencing – other Brazilian musical genres. So we may include the study and enjoyment of samba, forró, frevo, etc.

Final reminder that PASIC 2024 submissions are due by Tuesday JANUARY 23rd! Don’t miss out!

Presenting at PASIC is a career highlight for drummers and percussionists. The application process is very competitive, and many presenters apply multiple times before acceptance. PASIC features sessions from all topics related to percussion including marching, symphonic, drumset, interactive drumming, world, technology, education, new music, research and health and wellness. Applications are evaluated by a committee, and artist acceptance letters are issued in May.

Artist applications for PASIC 2024 will open on December 18, 2023. The deadline to apply is January 23, 2024.

Iconic Recordings

Iconic Recording #1 is Iannis Xenakis, from Pleiades (1978), Mov. I Metaux, performed by Fabio and his former percussion sextet in Brazil, called Impact(o) percussion. This is from a live concert recording in 2015.

The iconic first recording of this work is by Les Percussions de Strasbourg.

Iconic Recording #2 is Marlos Nobre, Rhythmetron (1967), performed with Fabio conducting the Percussion Ensemble at Universidade Federal de Goiás, where he taught between 2009 and 2019. This video is from a live concert performance in 2017 (Fast forward to 38 minutes, where the piece begins in that video).

Iconic Recording #3 “Cartola 1974”. That is a great example of classic/traditional samba recording with the great composer CARTOLA (Angenor de Oliveira). The entire album is a classic, and the core musicians are great Choro musicians, including Canhoto (cavaquinho), Meira (6 string guitar), Dino (7-string guitar) and Jorginho (Pandeiro)

Iconic Recording #4 is Luiz Carlos da Vila's 1998 album "A luz do vencedor"

In this album, the composer and performer Luiz Carlos da Vila is singing music by composer Antonio CANDEIA Filho.

Music News

Less than one month out from Super Bowl LVIII, the annual “TikTok Tailgate” pregame show is taking shape, with Gwen Stefani now confirmed as the headliner.

Both the NFL and TikTok detailed the news in formal releases, having first partnered on the “ultimate pregame party” ahead of 2020’s Super Bowl LIV. Since then, acts including The Chainsmokers, Jason Derulo, and The Black Keys have performed as part of TikTok Tailgate, which is once again set to stream live on the namesake short-form app. -Article

The great Dave Garibaldi has left Tower Of Power. Herman Matthews has been called to fill in until the chair is filled. He is also subbing on The Blues Bros. gig.

How many tracks will cease generating recording royalties under Spotify’s new 1,000-stream minimum? North of 150 million, according to 2023 consumption data.

Spotify formally unveiled its retooled royalty model (and plans for an early 2024 implementation) in November, setting in motion far-reaching revenue consequences for labels, distributors, and artists alike. The most noteworthy component of the revamped system, the aforementioned play minimum, will in practice block recording (but not publishing-side) payments for any track with fewer than 1,000 annual streams. -Article

Fabio Oliveira Interview

The song leading into the interview is Murmurando (Fon-Fon). This is a choro that he is playing pandeiro on, recorded live during a concert at Rowan University in October of 2022. The musicians are:

Fabio Oliveira, pandeiro

Fernanda Silveira, cavaquinho (Brazilian 4-string guitar)

Ian Coury, mandolin

César Garabini, 7-string guitar

Damon and Fabio both went to Umass Amherst and had the chance to work with Eduardo Leandro.

They reacquainted at PASIC.

Fabio attended the São Paulo State University for his undergrad. Umass for his masters.

Fabio is from Brasilia. He started studying percussion at school.

Fabio studied with Wellington Cláudio Vidal of the National Orchestra.

Fabio talks a bit about different types and the history of Samba.

Fabio also talks about where different styles of music are played in the country.

Fabio talks about some history of different parts of the country like the Northeast and Southern regions.

Damon mentions Bahia and the birthplace of Samba.

Fabio mentions Rural Samba and Candomble.

Fabio talks about the work Rafael Y’Castro is doing.

Fabio talks about some of the work he did with the Federal University of Goiás.

Fabio currently teaches at Rowan University.

Fabio consulted and judged for Samba Carnival Parades in São Paulo and talks about what goes into that.

Similarly to drum corps, there are different captions for judging the samba schools.

Damon mentions the World Corrupt Fifa podcast breakdown.

Fabio talks about the Faculty Concert at Rowan on Feb 21st.

You can also check out his Choro and Samba group Regional Samaúma, that plays Choro every Sunday at Barbés in Brooklyn 3-5:30pm, and does their "Samba de Terreiro" every first Saturday of the month in Brooklyn, at the Salon on Kingston.

Fernanda Silveira leads a weekly Choro jam in our front room, every Sunday. A casual affair with casual virtuosos.

Fabio will be doing a collaboration event with a string quartet at Hunter College on March 8th and then at the Shapeshifter Lab in Brooklyn on March 25th. You can email Fabio for more details on his upcoming events. oliveira@rowan.edu.

Damon mentions the West Village Halloween Parade.

You can check out Regional Samaúma on Instagram as well as Samba de Terreiro do Brooklyn.

Fabio chooses the iconic recordings for the week.

Shout-out to Wellington Cláudio Vidal, (friend of the show) Ney Rosauro, John Boudler, Eduardo Gianesella, Carlos Stasi, Eduardo Leandro, Marcos Thadeu and Steven Schick.

You can follow Fabio on Facebook, and Instagram.

The song leading out of the interview is a waltz by Brazilian Composer Ernesto Nazareth, who was a pianist and is one of the central composers in the birth of the Choro practice in Brazil.

It is performed by Fabio on Marimba and Vitor Sampaio on the Brazilian 7-string guitar, in their own arrangement of the piece, originally written for piano solo.