#371 Diane Downs- Founder of the Louisville Leopard Percussionists, Educator & More!
This week’s guest is Diane Downs. Diane is the founder of The Louisville Leopard Percussionists. She is from Louisville, KY and began playing music at home at a very early age. She participated in band throughout school and entered Morehead State University in Morehead, KY with a music scholarship. After taking a year off of college to teach music in Montego Bay, Jamaica, she returned to Morehead to pursue her degree in elementary education. Diane earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in elementary education from Morehead State University in Morehead, KY and a Rank 1 status from the University of Louisville in the areas of gifted education and jazz pedagogy.
Diane founded The Fabulous Leopard Percussionists in 1993 at ML King Elementary School in Louisville, directed that group for ten years, then created The Louisville Leopard Percussionists. She serves as a consultant to numerous elementary percussion ensemble programs around the United States including “We Got The Beat” percussion ensemble in Fresno, CA. Diane was a teacher in the Jefferson County Public School System for 28 years. From 1989-2003 she taught 2nd & 3rd grade at ML King Elementary and from 2003-2018 she taught music at Norton Elementary.
In recognition for her work, Diane received the 1996 WHAS TV/PNC Bank ExCel Award, the 2001 Governor’s Award for Excellence in Arts Education, the 2004 Louisville Arts Council Community Arts Award in Music, the 2005 Today’s Woman Magazine Most Admired Woman in Louisville in Education Award, the 2008 National Cable Leaders in Learning Award, the 2015 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr Living the Vision Award, the 2018 John LaPorta Jazz Educator of the Year Award through The Jazz Education Network and Berklee College of Music, and the 2019 Percussive Arts Society Outstanding Supporter Award.
Happy Birthday!
Happy Birthday to Diego Alvarez! Diego is a master cajón player born in Venezuela. He lived 16 years in Spain where he developed his career alongside the most prestigious flamenco dance companies such as Joaquin Cortez, Antonio Canales, Sara Baras, Nuevo Ballet Español and Paco Peña among others. With more than 12 nominations to the Latin Grammys, winner of a Latin Grammy in 2010 for best Rock album of the year for "Sera" by La Vida Boheme. Promoting El Cajon as a universal instrument, showing its main roots the Peruvian and the flamenco. Now lives in Los Angeles California, where he continues working with different musical projects between flamenco and jazz.
Happy Birthday to Andy Bliss! Andy is a solo artist, conductor, curator, and educator who maintains a dynamic career of musical collaboration. Residing in Knoxville, TN, his performances have been heard locally at the Tennessee Theatre and the Square Room, and abroad in locations such as the Darmstadt Summer Course for New Music (Germany), the Banff Centre for the Arts (Canada), the Patagonia Percussion Festival (Argentina), the LiveWire Festival in Baltimore, and Stanford’s Cantor Center for Visual Arts.
His repertoire ranges from 20th-century masterworks by John Cage, Iannis Xenakis, and Steve Reich, to the performance and advocacy of contemporary composers such as John Luther Adams, David Lang, and Mark Applebaum. His passion for new music has propelled Andy to collaborate on new works with a wide range of today’s leading composers and musicians such as Christopher Adler, Christopher Burns, Evan Chapman, David Crowell, Nicholas Deyoe, Marc Mellits, Lewis Nielson, and Anna Thorvaldsdottir, among many others.
Last season, Andy returned to Knoxville’s Big Ears Festival, revisiting John Luther Adams’ Four Thousand Holes with the nief-norf Project and performing Become Ocean with the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra; joined Atlanta’s Chamber Cartel for an evening-length performance of Iannis Xenakis’ Pleaides at the Goat Farm Arts Center; presented the Percussive Arts Society (PAS) International Convention’s New Literature Showcase Concert; appeared in solo recitals at the McCormick Marimba Festival in Tampa, FL and the statewide PAS Day of Percussion in Illinois; and collaborated in Lexington, KY with Dieter Hennings and an all-star cast on a performance of Pierre Boulez’s Le Marteau sans maître.
In the 2016-17 season, Andy will perform on double tenors in Brooklyn’s Panorama with the Crossfire Steel Orchestra; curates the PASIC Focus Day “Celebrating the European Avant-Garde,” a 6-concert event over two days; performs Jennifer Higdon’s percussion concerto under the composer’s baton; conducts the Eastern United States premiere of Mark Applebaum’s Rabbit Hole; directs a performance of Michael Pisaro’s Hearing Metal 3; and performs the world premiere of Constellations by Christopher Burns, an evening-length work for solo percussion and multimedia, written for Bliss.
Andy has made a practice of regularly working with younger composers, performers, and scholars, encouraging inquisitive modes of musical questioning and sustained collaboration with future generations. He is the Artistic Director of Nief-Norf, whose summer festival is now in its seventh year; there he performs, teaches, and conducts while curating a dozen concerts annually. The festival serves as a yearly contemporary music retreat, where more than fifty international participants enjoy an immersive environment of collaboration, experimentation, and support. Additionally, since 2011, Andy has served as the Director of Percussion Studies at the University of Tennessee, where he founded the Ensemble Knox (resident chamber percussion group), the UT Contemporary Music Ensemble, and the UT Contemporary Music Festival.
A devoted music educator, Andy has presented recitals, lectures, and masterclasses at the Northern Illinois University New Music Festival, Sewanee Summer Music Festival, National Conference on Percussion Pedagogy (NCPP), Association for Technology in Music Instruction’s (ATMI) National Conference, and the Midwest Band & Orchestra Clinic, and has held residencies at the Universities of Alabama, Arizona, Kentucky, South Carolina, and many others. He currently serves the Percussive Arts Society as a member of the New Music Research committee and is Past President of the PAS Tennessee Chapter. Bliss has served on the adjudication jury for both the Music for All National Percussion Festival and the PAS International Percussion Ensemble Competition, and his method book Multitudes (Innovative Percussion) is a widely used pedagogical resource nationally. As a member of the Knoxville community, Bliss spends two weeks annually touring his Steelband and Brazilian Ensemble to Knox County public schools, fusing live performance with cultural and historical community engagement.
A native of Milan, IL, Andy’s percussion studies were mentored by James Campbell, Rich Holly, Robert Chappell, Orlando Cotto, Liam Teague, Cliff Alexis and the Madison Scouts Drum & Bugle Corps. He is proud to be a Yamaha Performing Artist and thanks Zildjian, Innovative Percussion, Evans, Black Swamp, and Meinl Percussion for their generous support and sponsorships. When not performing or with his students, Andy can be found consuming as much baseball as possible––either watching the Chicago Cubs on television, or playing a game of backyard catch with his wife Erin, and their son, Donovan.
Happy Birthday to Kai Stensgaard! Kai is internationally recognized as a leading concert marimba artist and composer from Denmark. KS specialized on marimba and studied at CSUN in Los Angels with Karen Ervin and in New York City with Leigh Stevens. KS is one of the pioneers in six mallet playing, and he has composed several works for six mallets. Amoung those a concerto for Marimba and Orchestra called “Concierto Mexicano” Many of his compositions and arrangements have been performed by marimba players all over the world. He has been giving concerts and clinics in Europe, USA, Puerto Rico, Argentina, Chile and Mexico.
He is the auther of the method for six mallet playing called “The Six mallet Grip” and has published 7 CDs and a DVD displaying his compositions and personal marimba style. He also premiered many works for marimba, among those a concerto for marimba and orchestra “Ballet in Dark” by Martin Knakkergaard. This piece was later choreographed for performance on the stage by a dancer from the Royal Danish Ballet. The project “Marimbas on Tour” is a concert tour he has done several times in Denmark and Mexico together with Marimba Nandayapa, Mexico. These concerts had focus on the modern marimba and the traditional Mexican marimba. -More
Happy Birthday to Nate Werth! Nate is one of today's most innovative and versatile percussionists. Hailing from Dyer, Indiana, his approach to diverse musical styles, as well as an inventive use of traditional and non-traditional percussion, defines his unique sound. Nate's musical career began at age 8 while taking orchestral percussion lessons. Soon after, he developed a love for all worlds of percussion. After years of practice, Nate decided to pursue a career in music. He subsequently attended the prestigious University of North Texas from 2001 to 2006, where he refined his technical skills and studied with legendary musicians and educators, including Poovalur Sriji, Jose Aponte, Gideon Alorwoyie, Paul Rennick, Christopher Deane, and Mark Ford.
After his formal studies, Nate quickly became a staple in the Dallas-Fort Worth R&B and Gospel music scene. Over the next 11 years, he formed intimate musical relationships with Grammy Award Winners Robert "Sput" Searight, Shaun Martin, and Bernard Wright. In 2013, Nate moved to New York City to further immerse himself in a wide array of musical cultures.
A Meinl Percussion, Meinl Cymbals, Tama Drums, and Vic Firth endorser, Nate has been actively recording and touring world wide for the past decade. He has worked with internationally acclaimed artists such as Snarky Puppy, Screaming Headless Torsos, David Crosby, Q-Tip, Lalah Hathaway, Susana Baca, The Lee Boys, Turkuaz, Myron Butler and Levi, Jamison Ross, and The Metropole Orchestra.
Happy Birthday to Tom Rarick! Tom is a percussionist with the Ceremonial Brass, The United States Air Force Band, Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, Washington, D.C. A native of Carlisle, Pennsylvania, his Air Force career began in 1997. A graduate of Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Rarick earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in percussion performance in 1996. His former teachers include Dr. Gary Olmstead, Dr. Jack Stamp and Mr. Ron Horner. Tom is also the percussion arranger for the Bluecoats Drum Corps.
Happy Birthday to Kit Chatham! Kit is an internationally recognized percussionist, performer, composer, arranger, and educator. Kit’s experience in many forms of percussion, including drum set, world percussion, orchestral percussion, and marching percussion, makes him a highly sought after performer & clinician and create a percussive sound that is uniquely his own.
Kit has been a Drummer/Percussionist, Bandleader, and Artist Coach for Cirque du Soliel since 2005. He currently is the Drummer/Percussionist for Cirque du Soleil’s newest show in collaboration with Disney called Drawn to Life. Kit has enjoyed performing throughout the world and in front of millions of spectators with other Cirque du Soleil productions: KURIOS (2014-2019), Kooza (2013-2014), Zumanity (2012-2013), Mystere (2012-2013), Viva Elvis (2009-2012), and Corteo (2005-2009). Kit has been the original Percussionist/Drummer and helped to create his characters for Drawn to Life, KURIOS, Viva Elvis, and Corteo. In over 7000+ shows with Cirque, Kit has not missed a single show. He is known in Cirque circles as the “Cirque du-rummer” because of his performances in seven different Cirque du Soleil productions
Before joining Cirque du Soleil, Kit completed an exciting run from 2003 to 2004 as the featured percussionist soloist and music/percussion manager for the critically acclaimed instrumental theatrical show, CYBERJAM, in London, England’s West End. From 2001 to 2003, he was the featured snare drum/percussion soloist with the Tony and Emmy Award-winning Broadway show, BLAST!, which toured the United States, Canada, and Japan.
Kit has performed with numerous bands and ensembles and toured throughout North America, Europe, Australia, and Asia. He has arranged, composed, and designed for some of the world’s top music ensembles and organizations. These include Cirque du Soleil, SmartMusic, Finale, the University of Georgia, London’s Royal Military Academy, the University of Tennessee, Crossmen Drum & Bugle Corp, Terminus Percussion Theatre, Atlanta Quest, Odyssey Percussion Theatre, and many scholastic groups throughout North America, Europe, and Japan. He has made television appearances on The Late Late Show with James Corden, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Late Show with David Letterman, The Miss Universe Pageant, The Today Show, Regis and Kelly, CNN, PBS, the BBC London, among others.
When he is not performing with Cirque du Soleil, Kit continues his involvement with the global music community. Kit also runs his own recording studio and music production company, TikBeats, and is a music producer/casting consultant for both Cirque du Soleil and Walt Disney International. He has published six books on percussion and is co-creator of The Principal Percussion Series for Percussion. Kit continues giving in-person private lessons to aspiring percussionists in the Orlando area.
Originally from Atlanta, Georgia, Kit received his bachelor’s degree in Music Education from The University of Georgia, where he studied percussion with Dr. Thomas McCutchen and Dr. Arvin Scott. While at Georgia, he instructed, composed, and arranged for the UGA Redcoat Band, played in numerous music ensembles, and toured Europe at many prestigious jazz festivals like the legendary Le Montreux Jazz Festival, the Jazz à Vienne Festival, and the North Seas Jazz Festival with the University jazz ensemble. Kit received his master’s degree in Music Technology from Southern Utah University in Cedar City, Utah.
Kit continues giving clinics and masterclasses on percussion around the world and is a proud endorser of Vic Firth Sticks & Mallets, Yamaha Drums & Percussion, Zildjian Cymbals, Evans Drumheads, and Alternate Mode (DrumKat).
Happy Birthday to Henry Cole! Henry has performed with acclaimed jazz groups, including the Grammy-nominated Miguel Zenón Quartet ,Grammy winner David Sánchez, The Gary Burton Quartet, Quincy Jone’s Global Gumbo, Alfredo Rodriguez Trio, The Ben Wendel Quartet and the all-star quartet “90 Miles” featuring Sánchez, Stefon Harris and Nicholas Payton. He has also recorded and performed with Chambao, Calle13, Residente and Draco Rosa.
Happy Birthday to Dani Markham! Dani was born in Louisville, Kentucky, where she began playing percussion at the age of 8 in the Fabulous Leopard Percussionists (now known as the Louisville Leopard Percussionists,) under the direction of Diane Downs. Dani excelled in music during these elementary years and began studying privately at the age of 9. While in the Leopards, Dani performed at PASIC several consecutive years and also took 2nd place in the PAS International Marimba competition in 2003.
In 2000, Dani was featured along side hip-hop phenomenon Jay-Z's current drummer, Tony Royster, Jr., by the Percussive Marketing Council in their campaign to showcase young drum phenoms.
In 2005, Dani received the Bertha-Foster full-tuition scholarship to attend the University of Miami, studying under the direction of Dr. Ney Rosauro. During these years, Dani was invited and played in Kagoshima, Japan for the International Youth Asian Arts Festival. Dani also pursued her strong interests in Classic music and attended Chautaqua Music Festival in New York, and expanded her studies in Brazilian, Latin, and Jazz performance studying with heavy players, Ruben Alvarez, Richie Bravo, and Ted Atkatz.
Dani recently moved to San Francisco where she looks forward to continuing her love and passion for music. "Everyday is a constant exploration of creativity and sounds." Dani enjoys the rhythm and chops of being a percussionist, and is appreciated for her captivating energy and charisma. She is known for her dedication to music and appreciated for her ability to execute. On top of her performance career, Dani has spent a lot of time in the studio, and most recently has been working with well-known producer, Jack Splash.
Since 2003, Dani has been teaching privately and currently has a private studio based out of Miami where she takes on a handful of her own students. From 2007 to the present, Dani taught marching band at Ars Nova and Killian High School in Florida, percussion class at the South Beach Arts Music Institute, and teaches Latin drumming at the Louisville Leopard Percussionists Summer Camp in Louisville, Kentucky.
Happy Birthday to Nêgah Santos! An incredible hand percussionist born and raised in São Paulo, Brazil, Nêgah Santos, has been influenced by several artists and music genres, such as Afro-Cuban, Fusion, R&B, Jazz, Pop, African, Indian, World and Brazilian music.
Most recently Nêgah has become an Emmy (Tv Academy) and Peabody awarded percussionist, as part of Stay Human Band at The Late Show With Stephen Colbert lead by the Oscar winner and eleven (11) times nominates Grammy Awards Jon Batiste. Her role at the Late Night tv show involves performance and contributions to the arrangements of the diverse genres Stay Human performs with Jon Batiste.
Nêgah Santos music journey starts in her teens when she joins a ONG in Sao Paulo, which offered music, sports, technology and art classes to children from poor neighborhoods. There, Nêgah Santos first experiences performance and music theory and in a short period of time, she is accepted at Tom Jobim Music School (ULM - Universidade Livre de Musica). After three years at Tom Jobim School, Nêgah Santos receives a full scholarship at Berklee College of Music in Boston, where she graduated in 2015.
Nêgah Santos has toured the world with many artists as Grammy Award Winners, Esperanza Spalding, Alejandro Sanz, A.R Rahman, Terri Lyne Carrington, Diane Reeves, Me’shell Ndegeocello, as well as prolific artists such as Cory Wong, Ledisi, Clinton Cerejo, Nona Hendrix, Lizz Wright, Tia Fuller, Valerie Simpson, Sheila E., Al Jarreau, Huntertones and others. Nêgah has also become the first female percussionist for the Riverdance show, as part of the 21st anniversary Euro Tour in 2016.
In Brazil Nêgah has also performed in the musical theater scene with Mulheres Alteradas and O Primo Basilio. And also with well know artists such as Joyce, Marcos Valle, Jorge Aragao, Alcione, Falamansa, Sandra de Sa,Toni Tornado, among others.
Today besides being part of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and work with Jon Batiste and many other artists , Nêgah is preparing her new album called Forró Da Nêgah, which brings her compositions in the northeast Brazilian style Forró. The Album is set to be released in July 2022!
Happy Birthday to Andy Akiho! Described as "mold-breaking," "alert and alive," "dramatic," and "vital" by The New York Times, Andy Akiho is an eclectic composer and performer of contemporary classical music. Recent engagements include commissioned premieres by the New York Philharmonic, National Symphony Orchestra, Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, and Carnegie Hall's Ensemble ACJW; a performance with the Los Angeles Philharmonic; and three concerts at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. Akiho has been recognized with awards including the 2014-15 Luciano Berio Rome Prize, the 2015 Lili Boulanger Memorial Fund, a 2014 Fromm Foundation Commission from Harvard University, the 2014 American Composers Orchestra Underwood Emerging Composers Commission, a 2014 Chamber Music America (CMA) Grant with the Friction Quartet and Jenny Q Chai, a 2012 CMA Grant with Sybarite5, the 2012 Carlsbad Composer Competition Commission for the Calder Quartet, and the 2011 Finale & ensemble eighth blackbird National Composition Competition Grand Prize. Additionally, his compositions have been featured on PBS's "News Hour with Jim Lehrer" and by organizations such as Bang on a Can, American Composers Forum, and The Society for New Music.
Gig Alerts
Usher performed at the Super Bowl and saw an increase in his streaming by 1,200%. After he finishes his Vegas residency, he will be going on tour!
Stagecoach is sold out, but there are still tickets to Coachella!
The Levitate Festival will be happening in Marshfield, MA from July 5-7th.
The Love Rocks event at the Beacon Theater on March 7th has announced its lineup for the artists and band members.
Damon will be part of the Encores Orchestra for a two week run of Jelly’s Last Jam at the NY City Center in Manhattan, NY from Feb 21-Mar3.
Educational Spotlight
The educational spotlight is an app called Session Studio. This app is FREE and will help you get your recording credits straightened out and more!
Iconic Recording
The iconic recording is “Sing, Sing, Sing” by Louis Prima, performed by the Benny Goodman Orchestra with Gene Krupa on drums.
The snare drum comparison video is below.
Music News
The Department of Justice sends out a new batch of information requests in its ongoing investigation into Live Nation and Ticketmaster’s alleged anti-competitive behavior. -Article
John JR Robinson talks about his role in the rhythm section of the band for the “We Are The World” song featured in the Netflix documentary, The Greatest Night in Pop.
You can watch the Boston Zildjian 400th Anniversary Concert by CLICKING HERE.
Happy Mardi Gras! Dig into more information about this holiday by CLICKING HERE.
Diane Downs Interview
The song leading into the interview is a Led Zeppelin medley performed by the Louisville Leopard Percussionists.
Damon and Diane met through instigation by Dani Markham, at PASIC in 2022, but they both first performed at PASIC in 1998.
There is another Diane Downs. They are not related.
Diane started on clarinet and switched over to low brass instruments in high school.
Diane taught in elementary school before starting the leopards.
She attended Morehead State University and got both her bachelors and masters from there. She then got a second masters from the University of Louisville.
Diane spent a year in Jamaica teaching at 4 different music schools.
Diane’s mom was a bluegrass musician.
Diane talks about the orff instruments she started the leopards with.
Diane talks about some of the way she teaches and crafts arrangements for the group.
Diane talks about becoming a non-profit organization and building the different levels to the organization.
Diane talks about the repertoire like Thelonious Monk and Ozzy Osborne.
Shout-out to the Kentucky School for the Blind and Bobby Falk
Shout-out to former leopard, Hannah Ford Welton and the work she’s doing with the group.
Diane also mentions Jon Scales, Delfeayo Marsalis and Dani Markham are all writing for the group.
Diane mentions the annual BiG GiG at the Brown Theatre on April 21! Tickets will be available online and at the door. More info on that and other gigs HERE.
Diane talks about the team she has to procure grants and other funds. Shout-out to Debbie Woods.
Damon and Diane talk about various aspects of learning and music.
Diane’s family owned a farm where the crops were dairy, vegetables and moonshine.
She still maintains part of that farm and her family is close by.
Damon mentions Kevin Espiritu and his new book called Epic Homesteading.
Diane LOVES mowing grass and has a zero turn mower.
Damon mentions the grass and turf management degree at UMass.
Diane talks about the new rehearsal space being built.
Diane picks the iconic recording for the week. Honorable mention to “Take Five”
She also talks about the HBO documentary that they filmed.
Shout-out to Carlos Santana and his Milagro foundation, who helped the Leopards get a grant to buy new instruments.
The leopards use Latin Percussion Instruments, Sabian Cymbals, Evans Drumheads, Vater Sticks and Mallets, Salyers Percussion, and Yamaha Musical Instruments.
Shout-out to Ruben Alvarez, Ndugu Chancler, Brad Dutz, Victor Mendoza, Jerry Steinholz, Dani Markham, and Hannah Ford Walton.
You can follow the Louisville Leopard Percussionists on their Website, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
The song leading out of the interview is “Uptown Funk” performed by the leopards.
