#400 Marcos Torres, Marcos Lopez, Camilo Molina & Paulo Stagnaro- Roundtable!
Marcos Torres is a versatile percussionist, producer, and Grammy Award-Winning engineer. Marcos has been at the forefront of creating a fresh new sound within the Salsa genre for over a decade. His respect for the tradition and trajectory of this music, as well as his love and knowledge of Hip-Hop, R&B, and aptitude for sound curation as a whole, have led to him to help push the boundaries of the genre as we know it today.
Born into a musical family of Puerto Rican and Mexican heritage, Marcos was gifted a bongo at the age of three, and never looked back. He has since turned into one of his generation’s most respected and sought after percussionists, performing with salsa superstars La India, Tito Nieves, Ismael Miranda, Jerry Rivera, Obie Bermudez, and the legendary Issac Delgado among many others.
He is currently working out of New York City in varied roles as a percussionist, producer and engineer with rising artists from across Latin America including Jeremy Bosch, Fer Casillas, Tania Matus and Flaco Navaja.
Marcos Lopez 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.
Camilo Ernesto Molina-Gaetán is a thirty-two year old accomplished percussionist from New York City. At the age of two, Camilo began studying with Los Pleneros de la 21 – a community based group dedicated to playing folkloric Puerto Rican music – in their children’s workshop. It was as a student in the workshops where Camilo met his first teachers: Alberto “Tito” Cepeda and Juan Gutierrez. Advancing in skill through the years, Camilo has progressed from a student to a teacher for the community workshops offered by Los Pleneros de la 21. At the age of Four, also Camilo began to study at Boys Harbor Conservatory of Latin Music with renowned percussionists Johnny Almendra and Louie Bauzó. Camilo is also a graduate of The Julliard School of Music (2003) under the MAP/PATH programs.
In the fall of 2000, Camilo had the honor of being selected as one of ten semifinalists to compete in the Thelonious Monk International Afro-Latin Hand Drum Competition. He went on to become a finalist and was selected as the third place winner, who, at age ten was the youngest finalist in the 14-year history of the competition. That year, Camilo received a proclamation from the City Council of New York honoring him for his musical talents and achievements. He was also the recipient of the Celia Cruz Scholarship (2004) and The Harbor Achievement Award (2001). Camilo has recorded on 3 Grammy Award Nominated albums (Eddie Palmieri’s “Rumbero de Piano”, Los Pleneros de la 21’s “Para Todos Ustedes” and Papo Vazquez’s “Marooned/Aislado”) and contributed his talents to an Emmy Award winning documentary, Banco Populars “Sono, Sono: Tribute to Tite Curet”.
Camilo continues to make a name for himself early in his career, performing with acts varying in musical genres and styles. He is currently on tour as a member of Eddie Palmieri’s Orchestra. In addition, he has toured, recorded and performed with artists such as Santana, Eddie Palmieri, Dave Grusin, Los Pleneros de la 21, Miguel Zenón, Elio Villafranca, Teatro Pregones, Viento de Agua, John Santos, The Pimps of Joytime, Adonis Puentes, Iffy the Badman, Angel "Papo" Vasquez, Tato Torres y Yerbabuena, The Curtis Brothers, Sonido Solar, Jeremy Bosch, and many more.
Paulo Stagnaro has established himself as an innovative voice in today's generation of creative young artists. Hailed by jazz great Ralph Peterson as "a young master percussionist," Stagnaro has been a force on the ever-evolving New York scene since moving to Brooklyn in 2012. This year alone, he has performed and/or recorded with NEA Jazz master Paquito D'Rivera, Grammy-Winner Angelique Kidjo, Jazz Legend Dave Liebman, and formed part of the all-star rhythm section for Sting’s 25th Anniversary Rainforest Fundraiser at Carnegie Hall featuring James Taylor, Paul Simon, and Stephen Stills.
Happy Birthday
Happy Birthday to friend of the show Andy Moffatt! Andy is the captain of and runs the Eagles Drumline. Andy arranges the music and plays drums for the Philly faithful. The Drumline has performed on stages nationally and internationally including NFL London and Super Bowl 52. We have made appearances on ESPN, NFL Network, ABC, NBC, FOX, CSN, and the Rachel Ray Show and more!
Happy Birthday to friend of the show Rebecca Kite! is the author of a definitive biography of the world-famous Japanese marimba virtuoso, Keiko Abe – a work of scholarship that includes an exhaustively researched history of the concert marimba, accompanied by an illustrative music CD.
Kite's biography cum marimba history has been translated into Japanese, and will be translated into Spanish and published by the University of the Arts and Sciences in Chiapas, Mexico in 2013. A Chinese translation is planned, as well.
Kite was the first marimba teacher to record pieces traditionally played by beginning marimba students -- and so, for the first time, students could have the instructional benefit of hearing how these pieces ought to sound. On Kite's Prism recording, she played "Yellow After the Rain," the most popular marimba piece for beginners worldwide. She has created additional groundbreaking teaching materials, as well.
Kite holds several patents for innovative timpani designs that enable greater ease in moving the pedal, while improving the drum's overall sound. Early in Kite's musical career, she studied with such stars of the percussion world as Cloyd Duff, timpanist of the Cleveland Orchestra from 1942-1981, and George Gaber, Chair of the Percussion Department at the Indiana University School of Music in Bloomington, Indiana from 1960 to 1985. Much later in her continuing musical education, she studied with Keiko Abe, the
internationally known marimba virtuoso.
Happy Birthday to friend of the show Ryan Vaughn! Over the past twenty years, drummer/percussionist Ryan Vaughn has become a fixture in the independent music scene. Ryan has performed with some of the best independent singer/songwriters; including Caleb Hawley, Chrissi Poland, Zach Hurd (Bay Ledges), Sonya Kitchell, Elizabeth & the Catapult, Wakey! Wakey!, Ian Axel (A Great Big World), Rachel Platten, Lucius, Emily Kinney, Charlotte Sometimes, etc.
Ryan has also performed with numerous well-known recording artists such as John Forté, Anna Nalick, Aloe Blacc, Dave Monks (Tokyo Police Club), Joshua Radin, Ryan Cabrera, Tony Lucca, Jeffrey Gaines, Teddy Geiger, Tyler Hilton, Natasha Bedingfield, Rita Wilson, Hugh Jackman, Bebe Rexha, Lizzy Grant (Lana Del Rey), Ben Taylor, and Carly Simon. Ryan has performed on television for Late Night with Conan O’Brien with Joshua Radin, Comcast’s Backstage with Nick Howard (2012 winner of The Voice in Germany), and he is featured in John Forté’s groundbreaking documentary entitled The Russian Winter, which premiered at the TriBeCa Film Festival in the Spring of 2012.
In 2013, Ryan was the bandleader of the house band for Katie Couric’s daytime talk show, Katie. In 2016, Ryan worked on the development for Fox 20th Century’s hit movie, The Greatest Showman, for which he received a credit on the multi-award-winning original motion picture soundtrack. Vaughn has also worked on numerous other shows, including The Masked Singer, Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist, and The Bachelor Presents: Listen To Your Heart.
In addition to performing and recording, Ryan has always had a knack for the business of music. In 2014, Ryan took a position as head of A&R for the new music company, Fieldhouse Music (BMG). In 2016, Vaughn was hired as the Business Development Manager at Marshall Arts U.S. (AEG). In 2017, Ryan founded his own artist management company called Backline Creative. Simultaneously to launching Backline Creative, Ryan helped his wife launch her custom music company, Head Bitch Music.
While Ryan was born in Upland, CA, he grew up in Prescott, AZ. Vaughn went on to earn two Associate degrees – one in Jazz Performance and the other in General Business – from Mesa Community College in Mesa, AZ and later his Bachelor of Music in Jazz Performance from the prestigious William Paterson University of New Jersey in Wayne, NJ.
Gig Alerts
Oasis decides to go on tour. There are massive ticket surges — These are driven by Dynamic Pricing, which prompt UK Government Probe - Article
Oasis have announced two further live shows at Wembley Stadium - and there will be a different process for fans to get tickets following complaints over the weekend. Everything you need to know about the reunion - Article
Friend of the show Marcos Torres will be performing for the “Como La Flor: Selena Tribute”, at the Park City Music Hall, in Bridgeport, CT on Sep 6th. 8pm doors/9pm show. 21+/
Educational Spotlight
Damon will be giving a Percussion Masterclass Thursday, September 5th in Norwalk, CT at the First Congregational Church, on the green (3 Lewis Street). Limited tickets still available HERE.
Two clinic times: 4.30-6pm and 6.30-8pm.
Iconic Recording
This weeks iconic recording is “Amalia Batista” by TÍPICA 73. Típica 73 was a popular New York salsa band in the 1970s and early 1980s, formed with a number of musicians from Ray Barretto's band. Johnny “Dandy” Rodriguez plays congas on this track.
Music News
There is an instagram page you should be aware of called @LatinCity. They have a three-part series on The History of Salsa Music and its Roots from Africa to NYC.
Here is a huge passport tip in case it gets lost or stolen.
If you are interested in the music for the DNC and the roll call line up for each state, here is the full Playlist.
The song leading into the interview is Caribe - TITO PUENTE. Artist: TITO PUENTE Album: EXITANTE RITMO DE TITO PUENTE Label: TICO RECORDS Year: 1963. Johnny “Dandy” Rodriguez played bongos on this track.
Marcos Torres, Marcos Lopez, Camilo Molina & Paulo Stagnaro- Roundtable Interview
R.I.P. Johnny "Dandy" Rodriguez Johnny Rodriguez, a pillar of percussive tradition. He passed away at the age of 78 - Article
Shout-out to Jose Madera, Marc Quinones, and Bobby Allende.
Each person talks about different albums that were difficult to understand in the past when they were younger.
Damon: Kip Hanrahan and various recordings on the American Clave label.
and the two Deep Rumba albums.
Marcos Lopez: Various recordings with Tony Williams
and also Elvin Jones
Marcos Torres: “Traveling Through Time” with friends of the show Horacio "El Negro" Hernandez and Giovanni Hidalgo
Paulo: Sabar Drumming from Senegal.
Tama drumming as well.
Camilo: First gives a shout-out to Zaccai Curtis.
Art Taylor's "A.T.'s Delight"
Lou Donaldson's "Blues Walk"
Lee Morgan's "Sidewinder"
Everyone gives a shout-out to Modern Drummer Magazine
Shout out to the Percussive Arts Society and Conga Chops
Damon brings up the Mark Wessels books
Paulo talks about education and study. Everyone else chimes in..
Damon mentions the Ladysmith Black Mambazo version of the alphabet.
The episode that is pretty surprising is the one with Akbar Moghaddam.
Shout-out to Tony Escapa.
All the social media links and sponsor shoutouts for the guests are at the top of the page in the hyperlinks to the guests episodes.
You can hear the replay of Dandy’s episode (#32) below.
The song leading out of the interview is “Canto A La Habana” · Johnny Pacheco · Celia Cruz Celia & Johnny ℗ 1974 Fania Records, Distributed by Concord. Released on: 01-01-1974. Johnny “Dandy” Rodriguez played bongos on this recording.
