Visiting the Andalusian Music Festival

Festival is, perhaps, a bit of an overstatement. However, there was a collection of artists who participated in the event held recently at the Rialto in Atlanta. My wife and I joined some acquaintances there to explore the culturally rich music of the Arabo-Andalusian. Representing the classical music were musicians from three cities; the Tunisian… Continue reading Visiting the Andalusian Music Festival

Beating the Goat at Midnight

I call it Thunderhead, though I have yet to unleash upon it to confirm its namesake. It was midnight this Sunday morning when I finally got to beat the old goat skin into the night air. I played some variations on Saidi and Masmoudi to get a feel for the resonance and response on this new drum.

The Year is 2035…

Perhaps some of you are aware of Charles Lindbergh’s other work.  Lindbergh crossed the Atlantic Ocean in 1927, but a few years later he was able to get some time with the surgeon, Dr. Alexis Carrel to discuss some common interests.  It turns out that Lindbergh believed it to be possible to build a heart… Continue reading The Year is 2035…

An International Soiree

We recently attended the Gypsy Mediterranean Arabic Balkan Dilos Musicians of Atlanta meetup.com event. It was a complete blast! I’ve not had the opportunity to play with such a diversity of talented musicians before. I wasn’t even sure what kind of music to expect given the group’s name, but I caught on quickly enough. For… Continue reading An International Soiree

Stepping Out of Your Comfort Zone

I broke out of my comfort zone in two big ways this weekend; both involving drumming. When it comes to personal challenges, those involving my creative efforts are the most difficult to engage. A failure at something coming from creativity is a personal one, to me. However, I don’t feel that I lost in either… Continue reading Stepping Out of Your Comfort Zone

Raquy Danziger Workshop

Saturday I took a workshop with Raquy Danziger of Raquy and the Cavemen. She’s touring for her latest album release, “Naked.” I’ve been looking forward to this workshop since before it was actually being offered with her busy touring schedule. Perseverance paid off and the schedule was finally updated to include Atlanta as a stop… Continue reading Raquy Danziger Workshop

Acoustical Drum Design Principles

Amy and I were talking recently about me getting into drum construction. We’ve talked about it before, but I’m not exactly sure how to get started. After a conversation Sunday, my mind began working on some concepts to get me started. What I’ve come up with is a desire to redesign the drum (traditional styles… Continue reading Acoustical Drum Design Principles

Metaphysiology: My Word, not Theirs

I thought I invented the word metaphysiology just now. Meta- being the state of something being in an advanced or super state, physique/physical representing the anatomy, and finally -ology being the study of. Together that gives you the “scientific study of superhuman qualities or powers.” Alas, the New Age folks have already taken the word… Continue reading Metaphysiology: My Word, not Theirs