DATE: April 02, 2009

CONTACT: Paul Buyer, 864-656-3857
pbuyer@clemson.edu

WRITER: Glenn Hare, 864-656-1478
ghare@clemson.edu

Percussion Ensemble, Steel Band to play world music and TV theme songs

CLEMSON — Clemson University’s Percussion Ensemble and Steel Band will present a joint concert at 8 p.m. Friday, April 24, at the Brooks Center for the Performing Arts.

Under the direction of Paul Buyer, the free concert will have a distinct world-music flavor. 

“We will perform pieces representing Brazil, West Africa, Ireland, Trinidad and Tobago, and America,” he said.

The first half of the concert will showcase the 14-member percussion ensemble. The group will open the concert with a traditional Brazilian Samba selection entitled “Samba Batucada.” 

The ensemble will perform the piece playing traditional Brazilian instruments, among them the pandeiro, the Brazilian tambourine; the reco reco, a metal scraping instrument; and the agogo, a South American cowbell and a double bell from Ghana called the gankogui.

The percussion ensemble’s advanced snare drum students will perform Kevin Bobo’s “Quartet for Four Snare Drums,” a work that explores different timbres and interconnected rhythms. 

“The composition is demanding and requires advanced rudimental and orchestral techniques from each performer,” Buyer said.

Bill Douglas’ “Feast” features musical influences from both Ireland and Africa. 

“It’s an Irish-African jig,” Buyer said. “The melodic and harmonic styles have an Irish texture, while the rhythms are truly African.”

The ensemble will perform Jim Cassella's “Cop Drama,” which uses the themes from “The Streets of San Francisco,” “S.W.A.T.,” “The Mod Squad” and other classic cop shows. The piece includes unusual sounds, such as a triangle submerged in water, a zil bell and a vibratone.

The Clemson University Steel Band will open its half of the program with the calypso soca tune “Llava Tierra” and continue with “Summer Song,” a piece by Cliff Alexis.  A steel band arrangement of “Jump in the Line” follows.

“It’s a fun arrangement that the audience will enjoy,” said Buyer. 

The band will show its true colors when it plays “Orange… the Color.” 

“How could we not play this one?” said Buyer. 

“One Small Step for Pan,” the steel band’s latest recording, will be on sale in the Brooks Center lobby, as well. 

For more information about the Clemson University Percussion Ensemble and Steel Band joint concert go to www.clemson.edu/Brooks or call the box office 864-656-7787 from 1 to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday.

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