#376 Aaron T. Smith- Percussionist, Educator, Editor and More!
This week’s guest is Aaron T. Smith. Aaron is a freelance percussionist in Southern California, where he has performed with such groups as the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the L.A. Chamber Orchestra, L.A. Opera and the Pacific Symphony. He served as the principal timpanist of the New Mexico Symphony. In addition to orchestral music, Mr. Smith plays contemporary music and is an active chamber musician. He has performed as a soloist in Los Angeles and New York City, and has given solo recitals throughout Southern California. Mr. Smith has participated in the world-premieres of many works, some of which were written specifically for him.
Outside of LMU, Mr. Smith serves as a clinician and adjudicator. Aaron attended the University of California at Los Angeles (BA, MFA), where he studied with Mitchell Peters, Principal Timpanist (ret.) of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra and has also studied with Raynor Carroll, Principal Percussionist of the LAPO. He has studied riq and frame drums with Randy Gloss (CALARTS) and drum set with Michael Packer (L.A. Music Academy) and J. D. Blair (Nashville studio and touring musician).
Happy Birthday!
Happy birthday to Justin Faulkner! Philadelphia native, drummer, educator, and philanthropist Justin Faulkner has cultivated a sound that invites, entertains, informs, and heals.
Throughout his career, Faulkner has shared the stage with musical luminaries like Kenny Barron, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Peter Nero, Jimmy Heath, Orrin Evans, Ornette Coleman, Sean Jones, Tim Warfield, Bernard Purdie, Pharoah Saunders, Terence Blanchard, Mingus Big Band/Dynasty/Orchestra, Bootsie Barnes, Jacky Terrasson, Terrence Howard, Bilal, Christian McBride and continues to be the drummer of choice for numerous others.
Justin's training began at the Girard Academic High School Music Program (GAMP). At seven years old, his formal education included studying classical percussion with Susan Jones and jazz drums and percussion with Samuel Ruttenberg. Jazz Ensemble, Chamber Ensemble, and Choral Ensemble education at the Kimmel Center created a new understanding of community and the creative ecosystem. The Clef Club of Jazz and the Performing Arts provided freedom of expression for a young musician to find his way. Principal Timpanist of the Philadelphia Orchestra, Don Liuzzi, cultivated the detail-oriented nature necessary to craft the full musical experiences Faulkner presents.
As a child prodigy, Justin entered the jazz scene at the tender age of 13, playing his first professional gig with bassist Jamaaladeen Tacuma of Ornette Coleman's band Primetime. In the coming years, his apprenticeships with Orrin Evans, J.D. Walter, Boris Kozlov, Bootsie Barnes, Denise King, Michelle Beckham, and The Charles Mingus Big Band would shape the still teenager into a gentleman entering the scene elegantly and with a presence.
On March 19, 2009, his 18th birthday, Faulkner started his tenure with the Branford Marsalis Quartet. Since then, Faulkner has toured the world extensively for the last 11 years. The musical expedition has included performances at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, The Michener Museum (Doylestown, PA), The Kennedy Center (Washington D.C.), Jazz at Lincoln Center( New York City), The Sydney Opera House (Sydney, Australia), The Blue Note Jazz Club (Tokyo, Japan), Royal Opera House (Muscat, Oman), Vienna Konzerthaus (Vienna, Austria), and Concertgebouw (Amsterdam, Netherlands), to name a few.
Happy Birthday to Rusty Burge! Rusty joined the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music faculty in 1992 as a member of Percussion Group Cincinnati, with whom he has performed extensively throughout North America, Europe and Asia. Recent performances include the Japan World Drum Festival, Chinese International Music Festival, Taipei International Percussion Convention, the Ravinia Festival, Merkin Hall in New York City and the International Percussion Convention. He has recorded with the Group for the Mode, Centaur, Einstein and Ars Moderno labels. The Group has also made concerto appearances with more than twenty different symphony orchestras. He was formerly principal percussionist with the West Virginia Symphony and plays extra with the Cincinnati Symphony. He received his undergraduate degree from the Eastman School of Music and a masters degree from CCM.
Professor Burge teaches percussion, jazz vibraphone and directs the CCM Steel band. He is an active jazz vibraphonist who has recorded for Summit, J Curve Records, Human Records and Telarc. Recent jazz performances with Ted Nash, Rich Perry, Peter Erskine, Dave Liebman, Rufus Reid, Steve Allee, Steve Houghton, Roland Vazquez, Michael Spiro and Jim Rupp. Recent performances at the 2016 PASIC Convention, the 2016 Midwest Clinic and the 2017 JEN Convention with the BAHA Quartet (Burge, Allee, Houghton and Allen.) His latest recordings are Faraway (with Steve Allee) and Driftin' with Steve Houghton, Steve Allee and Jeremy Allen. In 2017 Burge (as a member of PGC) was inducted into the Percussive Arts Society Hall of Fame.
Happy Birthday to Jon Shiffman! Jon is a drummer and Music Director based in New York City.
Growing up in Teaneck, NJ - Jon's love of drumming was forged under the tutelage of his high school band director Bob Hankle (Aretha Franklin - Trombone), and his son Matt (Blue Man Group, Tom Morello - Drums).
After jazz studies at both New School University and City College of New York, Jon began his career as a touring rock/pop drummer.
Most of his time on the road was spent with his band Steel Train - led by Grammy Award winner Jack Antonoff. Garnering a cult following throughout the States, Steel Train's performance highlights included performances at Lollapalooza, Bonnaroo, Conan O'Brien, and David Letterman.
After Steel Train disbanded, Jon went on to record with Antonoff's Grammy award winning, Fun, and was hired as drummer and Music Contractor and Musical Director for Antonoff's solo project, Bleachers. With Bleachers, Jon received a Gold record for his contribution to the record, "I Wanna Get Better".
Since retiring from touring in 2015, Jon maintains a busy schedule that includes drumming for various NYC artists, jingle work, drumming and bandleading in event bands (namely Atomic Funk Project).
He also writes music under the moniker, Sports and Arts, and hopes to release solo material independently in 2023.
Happy Birthday to Brendan Buckley! Brendan is a freelance drummer based out of Los Angeles, CA. Over the course of his career, he has worked with the following artists: Perry Farrell, Shakira, Tegan And Sara, Miley Cyrus, Damien Rice, Shelby Lynne, Daniel Powter, Leighton Meester, Roberto Carlos, Minnie Driver, The BoDeans, Aleks Syntek, Leehom Wang, Beto Cuevas, Idina Menzel, Melissa Ethridge, Alejandra Guzman, Julio Iglesias, Emmanuel, Dallas Austin, Gustavo Santaolalla, Alejandro Sanz, Debi Nova, JJ Lin, Brie Larson, Ozomatli, Madame Recamier, DMX, Nil Lara, Chayanne, Jeff Chang, Michael Miller, Fulano De Tal, Gloria Estefan, and MIYAVI either as a drummer, percussionist, music producer, or songwriter. He grew up in Mount Arlington, NJ, and went to college at the University of Miami’s School of Music. Brendan is also a faculty member at Musician’s Institute in Hollywood, CA.
Happy Birthday to Everett Bradley! Perhaps the story of Everett Bradley’s unique career can be summed up in three words—“Look no further!” That’s what Shawn Pelton, the long-time Saturday Night Live drummer, always tells people whenever he recommends his old bandmate Everett for a gig as a percussionist. Shawn and Everett had been students together back at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music, and while Shawn knows Everett as a kick-ass percussionist with few peers, he also knows that conga drums are but one talent up the sleeve of this singer, songwriter, dancer, choreographer, multi-instrumentalist, and bandleader. The cliché “jack-of-all-trades-but-master-of-none” simply does not apply to Everett Bradley because he happens to be a master of them all. Among those who’ve heeded Pelton’s advice and have come to treasure Everett are Carly Simon, Daryl Hall and Jon Bon Jovi. On top of everything else, he has an infectious personality—a quality always on display in Holidelic, the outlandishly entertaining Christmas funk extravaganza he created and performs in. These are only some of the gifts that have brought Everett to Broadway, television, and into Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band—and what makes his prospects so exciting.
Born in Greenwood, South Carolina, Everett grew up in Muncie, Indiana, the son of a high school principal and football coach who insisted he play football (his brother Luther played on the Detroit Lions) and tried to discourage his musical interests, and a mother who taught first grade and encouraged them behind his father’s back. This central conflict in his upbringing would teach him important lessons—“about love, compassion, generosity, not being too quick to judge people, and how not to take no for an answer if you felt very strongly about something,” as Everett explains it. He played the lead role of Jesus in a high school production of Godspell, a watershed event made even more remarkable by the fact that the Bradleys were one of three black families in the overwhelmingly white neighborhood of Halteman Village. The die was cast for a career in music when he received a scholarship to study voice at Indiana University. After graduating, Everett cut his teeth playing in a funk band called Kilo with fellow student Shawn Pelton. Weaned on Stax, Motown, Sly and the Family Stone, and the funk of Earth Wind & Fire and Parliament Funkadelic, Everett played multiple instruments including saxophone, but conga drums became his mainstay. By the time he landed in New York and got a call about a show called Stomp that had originated in the UK and was looking for “percussionists that move well,” he’d become a consummate player, and boy, had they called the right guy–the show was tailor-made for him. “It was one of those situations where the more personality you inject, the better the show becomes. I just took it and ran with it!”
Stomp became an off-Broadway phenomenon, and when the UK cast went on tour, Everett was made its musical director, after which he found himself auditioning for a Broadway show about jitterbugging called Swing! He made his Broadway debut with a song he’d written himself for the show, “Throw That Girl Around,” and contributed a hip-hop arrangement of “The Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy” that turned the production on its ear. Then came a stint with Hall & Oats, and then came 9/11. “I felt like we all needed to heal, and the way I was going to do that was by writing Christmas songs”—which led to the album Toy. “Then I got the idea to combine two of my favorite things—Christmas and funk!” The result was an audaciously entertaining P-Funk inspired version of Toy called Holidelic. From the moment Everett arrived onstage in his big furry white coat and George Clintonesque sunglasses and unwraps the big gift with the bow, opens the box, takes out the 6-inch platform shoes and puts them on, the audience went wild. Everett has been performing the show ever since, making it as beloved a holiday tradition as the Rockettes at Radio City for those who know about it. “It’s joyful but nasty–bump and grind with a warm fuzzy heart!”
With the new millennium, Everett was busier than ever, playing with Hall & Oates, Carly Simon, and performing in Bobby McFerrin’s completely improvised show Voicestra as one of the twelve singers, which blew his mind—”It was amazing to see someone create magic out of nothing every night.” In 2011 he got a mysterious call to do a gig down the Jersey shore at the Stone Pony and arrived to discover that it was a fund-raiser that Bruce Springsteen was doing. “I’d never been so nervous in my life,” Everett admits. Bruce had never played with a percussionist before, but he liked what he saw—in no time at all they were vamping, doing steps with their arms around each other. Everett was just getting ready to tour Japan with Daryl Hall when he got the invitation to join the E Street Band. “It would be fun for Bruce to have somebody up there to mess with,” he was told by Bruce’s management, but as much as Everett wanted to be messed with, he had a commitment to Daryl that he felt he couldn’t break and turned the invitation down. As it turned out, Bruce was so impressed by Everett’s loyalty to Daryl that he decided to wait for him. The result was two of the most extraordinary years of Everett’s life as he toured the world with Bruce and played on his album High Hopes.
The years since have been equally as eventful. Everett became the musical director for Meredith Viera’s television show. He continued to work with Daryl Hall and played an integral role in the evolution of Live From Daryl’s House. In the wake of Richie Sambora’s departure, Jon Bon Jovi invited him to play in his band, which turned into a four year stint—“my longest gig by far.” But as interesting as Everett’s career has been, it’s what he’s doing now and his vision of the road ahead that gets him stoked. He’s re-imagining the music of the classic musical 42nd Street, turning it into an urban R&B/jazz score. He’s flipping the Great American Songbook into another kind of repertoire: Cole Porter’s “Night and Day” as Marvin Gaye would have done it in the 70s. He’s become passionately interested in film scoring—“I want to learn how to write for oboe and I’m actually thinking about going back to school.” And with the holidays approaching his thoughts naturally turn to Holidelic. “I can’t wait to wear a cape again! There are so many ways to go with this, so many other holidays…Halloween? St. Valentine’s Day? Independence Day??”
Gig Alerts
The Glastonbury Festival lineup for 2024 has been announced and will include SZA, Shania Twain, Dua Lipa, and Coldplay. The festival will take place from June 26th-30th.
Educational Spotlight
Camp Afropop will be taking place in the Catskills (NY) from May 28th-31st.
Friend of the show, Camilo Molina and Roberto Vizcaino Jr. will be giving a clinic in Puerto Rico on March 26th..
Iconic Recording
The first iconic recording is the album “Briefcase Full of Blues” by the Blues Brothers and their band.
The second iconic recording is “Smile in a Wave” by the Screaming Headless Torsos with Gene Lake on drums and Daniel Sadownick on percussion.
The third iconic recording is “F it up” by Louis Cole.
Music News
The first bit of music news is some BTS content from the recording of the Dune (Part 2) soundtrack by Holly Madge and company.
MGM denies rumors that Bruno Mars is sinking in gambling debt with the casino, following claims to the contrary that started circulating last week.
Reports surfaced last week that Bruno Mars had allegedly made $90 million a year with his residencies at MGM Resorts, but that a large portion of that was going toward paying off his exorbitant gambling debt. Now MGM has come to Mars’ defense, denying that the performer has any debt with them. -Article
Olivia Rodrigo is helping to raise money for abortion funds across the US. But after backlash online, her management is halting the distribution of supplies like condoms or emergency contraception like Plan B at the singer’s shows.
Pop sensation Olivia Rodrigo has been vocal about her support for non-profit initiatives for women’s rights. Especially in the US, the singer has been helping raise money for abortion funds, allowing organizers to set up tables at shows in states with limited reproductive rights following the overturn of Roe v. Wade. -Article
Aaron T. Smith Interview
The song leading into the album is, “The Dreams of a Sleeping World” by Chad Cannon, performed by the Hollywood Studio Symphony
Damon talks about the other Aaron Smith’s he came across in the search as well as the Damon Grant in Idaho.
Aaron was born in the Columbus area of Ohio and moved to Huntsville AL.
Aaron went to UCLA for his bachelors and masters.
Damon refers to the Kinder High School in Houston, TX.
Aaron’s dad and his extensive record collection were responsible for introducing him to music.
Sesame Street and The Muppet Show were also inspirations for Aaron.
Aaron studied with J.D. Blair.
Shout-out to Jennifer Judkins.
Damon and Aaron talk about marching percussion.
Aaron taught percussion at various high schools.
Aaron studied with Mitchell Peters, William Kraft, and friend of the show, Raynor Carroll.
Aaron studied West African drumming and dance with Kobla Ladzekpo.
Shout-out to Layne Redmond and her book, “When the Drummers Were Women”.
Aaron also studied middle eastern percussion with David Shaffer and friend of the show, Randy Gloss.
Shout-out to Daniel Catán.
Aaron teaches at Loyola Marymount.
Shout-out to Glen Velez.
Aaron teaches at Cal State Northridge.
Aaron performs with the St. Matthews Chamber Orchestra.
In the summers Aaron plays with the Long Beach Municipal Band.
Sometimes Aaron plays with the Santa Barbara Symphony.
Damon mentions Ludwig Göransson.
Aaron is a member of the Percussive Arts Society and is an associate editor for the Percussive Notes. You can email him here: publications@pas.org to submit an article.
Damon mentions the PAS Instagram page.
Aaron and Damon mention the Drumset Magazine.
Aaron chooses the iconic recordings for the week.
Damon tries to remember The 24th Street Band. The members of this band were: Will Lee - Bass, Hiram Bullock - Guitar, Steve Jordan - Drums, and Clifford Carter - Keyboards
Shout-out to Nate Wood.
Damon mentions Leigh Howard Stevens.
Aaron mentions Jacob Collier.
Shout-out to Doug DeMorrow and his instruments.
Shout-out to Mitchell Peters, Raynor Carroll, Randy Gloss, and Michael Packer.
Aaron talks about student debt. The video from Last Week Tonight will be posted HERE.
Aaron also talks about helping his students knowing current financial constraints.
You can follow Aaron on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
The song leading out of the interview is, “Sway for Percussion and Electronics” by Liviu Marinescu
