Percussion Rhythms from Bali, Africa and Cuba at HSU

 Three HSU percussion groups lead a rhythmic tour from Bali to West Africa and the Cuban Carnival in their shared concert on Sunday April 17 in Fulkerson Recital Hall. 

 The Percussion Ensemble performs “Ketjak,” a contemporary work by Japanese composer Akira Nishimura, based on the Balinese Monkey Chant that traditionally accompanies enactment of the Sanskrit epic story, the Ramayana. Seven percussionists play multiple instruments, including two sets of tubular bells.

 “This virtuosic piece captures the deep emotion of the Monkey Chant in a dramatic percussive orchestration that pushes the seven-player ensemble to the limits of their technique and musicality,” said Ensemble director Eugene Novotney. 

 Then the HSU West African Ensemble performs a suite of traditional Mandeng drumming using all indigenous instruments, including djembe, dundun and balafon.

 Finally, the World Percussion Group presents the driving beat of “Conga Mozambique,” an arrangement of Afro-Cuban Comparsa music. A horn section playing traditional melodies adds to the authentic Cuban Carnival sound.

 The HSU Percussion Ensemble, West African Ensemble and World Percussion Group perform on Sunday April 17 at 8 p.m. in Fulkerson Recital Hall on the HSU campus. Tickets are $8, $5 seniors and children, free to HSU students with ID, from HSU Box Office (826-3928) or at the door.  Directed by Eugene Novotney, Howard Kaufman and Joe Bishop. Produced by HSU Music department.

Calypso Band Greatest Hits Plus Marimba and We Got the Beat 

 A youth group’s return, a marimba classic and some of the Calypso Band’s greatest hits are featured in an all-percussion concert on Saturday December 5 at the Van Duzer Theatre. 

 We Got the Beat is a group of student percussionists (grades 2 through 7) from Fresno. They perform all over California, and last played at HSU in April 2012. “They bring energy, excitement, and a high level of musicianship,” said HSU percussion professor Eugene Novotney, “and will fill everyone’s hearts with the joy of music.” 

 The Humboldt State Marimba Band performs “Omphalo Centric Lecture,” a marimba quartet composed by Australian percussionist Nigel Westlake. Premiered in 1986, this piece is played regularly around the world. Describing it as “captivating” and “mesmerizing,” Novotney said “it explores the beauty of the sound of the marimba in its full range and capacity.” 

 The concert’s first half concludes with the World Percussion Group morphing into a 30-piece samba band playing Samba Maracutu from Northern Brazil, on instruments from the region.

The second half belongs to the Humboldt State Calypso Band, which gears up for its 30th anniversary this spring with some of its greatest hits from past shows, as well as new tunes never heard before at HSU. Included in the mix are three Panorama classics as well as the band’s signature high-energy Calypso dance music. 

 The all-percussion concert is Saturday December 5 at 8 p.m. in the Van Duzer Theatre at HSU. Tickets are $10 general, $3 students, seniors and children from the HSU Box Office (826-3928) or at the door.  Directed by Eugene Novotney and Howard Kaufman. “We Got the Beat,” directed by Brenda Myers, also plays a pre-concert set beginning at 7:30 p.m.

Media: Eureka Times-Standard Urge, Mad River Union, North Coast Journal, Humboldt State Now

Calypso Band & Percussion Concert Notes

Notes by Humboldt State percussion program director Eugene Novotney

The concert will start with a energizing set by the youth percussion group, We Got the Beat. We Got the Beat is a fun and interactive, hands-on, musical experience for young student musicians from 2nd to 7th grade based in Fresno, California.

 Led by percussionist Brenda Myers, "We Got the Beat" performs on a wide variety of percussion instruments and in many musical styles. They have performed throughout the state of California for events such as the California Music Educator’s Convention in Sacramento, the National Association of Music Merchants Trade Show in Anaheim, the Big Fresno Fair, and at the Oakland Day of Percussion with Pete Escovedo. They bring energy, excitement, and a high level of musicianship, and will fill everyone’s hearts with the joy of music.

In addition to starting the show, WGTB will be presenting a pre-concert set at 7:30pm as the crowd enters the theatre.

 The HSU Marimba Band will follow WGTB, and they will be featuring a truly virtuosic marimba piece entitled, Omphalo Centric Lecture, composed by the Australian composer Nigel Westlake. This piece is both captivating and mesmerizing, and it explores the beauty of the sound of the marimba in its full range and capacity.

 The first half of the show will conclude with the World Percussion Group, directed by Professor Howard Kaufman. The WPG will be presenting an authentic arrangement of Samba Maracatu from Northern Brasil on all traditional instruments. This arrangement is as good as it gets, and will feature a 30+ piece samba band playing authentic instruments from Brasil filling the room with pulsating sound.

The second half of the concert will showcase the festive island sounds of the Humboldt State Calypso Band. This fall, the Calypso Band is gearing up for their 30th anniversary by playing their “greatest hits” from the past 30 years of shows at HSU, as well as some new tunes never before heard at HSU.

The band will feature three Panorama compositions on this show - Ray Holman’s, “If We Really Want,” Boogsie Sharpe’s, “Misbehave,” and Andy Narell’s, “Coffee Street” - as well as a full mix of Calypso dance music. Many student steelpan soloists will be featured throughout the evening, and the Calypso Band’s performance is guaranteed to get you up on your feet!

The Humboldt State Calypso Band prides itself in maintaining an accurate and authentic connection to the roots of the steel band movement and the innovative musicians of Trinidad, the island on which this unique percussion phenomenon was born. The band is dedicated to the performance of traditional and contemporary music from the Caribbean, Africa, Brazil, and the United States.

 In addition to its regular performances at Humboldt State and throughout Northern California, the band has undertaken tours to San Francisco, Santa Cruz, San Jose, Santa Rosa, Sacramento, Stockton, Fresno, Oakland, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Eugene, OR and Seattle, WA. Founded in 1986 by the band’s director, Eugene Novotney, the Calypso Band is celebrating its 30th anniversary at Humboldt State this spring, and holds the distinction of being the first ensemble of its kind in the entire California State University System.

Calypso Band Dance Rhythms Return 

 HSU Calypso Band brings its authentic Caribbean dance rhythms home after a triumphant northern California tour, and the Percussion Ensemble features a work highlighting Hawaiian rhythms on Saturday May 2 in the Van Duzer Theatre. 

 Back for its second concert this spring, the Percussion Ensemble presents for the first time this year a 1978 work by American composer Christopher Rouse called Ku-Ka-Illimoku, evoking indigenous Hawaiian rhythms. The performance also features 24 dancers choreographed by HSU Dance professor Sharon Butcher. 

 The Percussion Ensemble also performs Marimba Spiritual by Japanese composer Minoru Miki and a reprise of Toccata for Percussion by Mexico’s foremost composer Carlos Chavez. The HSU World Percussion Group presents authentic Afro-Cuban folkloric music based on the traditions of the Yoruba people of Nigeria.

 Then in what has become a pre-finals tradition, the HSU Calypso Band takes over for the rest of the high-energy evening. This year’s highlights include two Panorama classics by Len “Boogsie” Sharpe from the island of Trinidad: “Misbehave” and “Woman is Boss.” 

 The Calypso Band and its more than 40 steeldrums recently returned from a northern California tour, playing to enthusiastic audiences in Santa Rosa, Petaluma, Tomales, San Rafael and Berkeley. 

The HSU Percussion Ensemble and Calypso Band perform on Saturday May 2 beginning at 8 p.m. in the Van Duzer Theatre. Tickets from HSU Ticket Office (826-3928) or at the door: $10 general, $5 seniors and children, $3 HSU students. Directed by Eugene Novotney and Howard Kaufman, produced by HSU Music department.

Media: Times-Standard "Urge," Mad River Union, Humboldt State Now

Percussion Ensemble & Calypso Band: Director's Notes

Notes by Eugene Novotney:

The featured work on the program is Ku-Ka-Ilimoku, composed in 1978 by Christopher Rouse on commission from the Syracuse Symphony Percussion Ensemble.

The composer writes: "In Hawaiian mythology, Ku is perhaps the most fundamental and important of gods, occupying a place similar to that of Zeus in Greek mythology or Odin in Norse legend. Ku is manifested in several forms: as Ku-Ka-Ilimoku he represents the god of war. Thus this work for percussion ensemble is best viewed as a savage, propulsive war dance. Hawaiian chants are often based on as few as two pitches, and Hawaiian percussion emphasizes short, repetitive patterns. Underlying this surface simplicity is a wealth of subtle rhythmic inflection and variation. I incorporated this diversity to great effect, creating a tightly knit, exhilarating work. Although indigenous instruments are not employed, the timbre of their voices is evoked. The dynamic power of the Western instruments adds an intense level of ferocity to the proceedings."

 This performance of Ku-Ka-Ilimoku will be accompanied by dancers from the Humboldt State University Dance Program presenting an exciting contemporary dance inspired by the folkloric rhythms and dances of the “Hula Kahiko” tradition. The dance is choreographed by dance professor, Sharon Butcher, and entitled, Standing Here, With Red-Feathered Gods.

 Other featured pieces on the program will include the classic work, Toccata for Percussion, by Carlos Chavez and Marimba Spiritual by Minoru Miki.

The first half of the show will conclude with a suite of traditional Mandeng Drumming from West Africa, and a special presentation by the HSU World Percussion Group of authentic Afro-Cuban folkloric music based in the traditions of the Yoruba people of Nigeria.

 The second half of the show will feature the festive dance music of the Humboldt State Calypso Band. For 29 years, the Calypso Band has been performing and entertaining local audiences, and has proven to be one of Humboldt County’s favorite and most enduring musical ensembles.

The Calypso Band is comprised of an orchestra of over 40 steelpans (or steeldrums) representing the full symphonic range. This spring, the Humboldt State Calypso Band toured Santa Rosa, Petaluma, Tomales, San Rafael, and Berkeley, California, entertaining hundreds of listeners, and sharing their authentic Caribbean sounds with their enthusiastic audiences throughout Northern California.

For their performance in the Van Duzer Theatre, the Calypso Band will feature several high-energy dance compositions from the Caribbean in their set, including two modern Panorama classics composed by steelband legend, Len “Boogsie” Sharpe, from the island of Trinidad – Misbehave and Woman is Boss.

For 29 years, the Humboldt State Calypso Band has prided itself in maintaining an accurate and authentic connection to the roots of the steel band movement and the innovative musicians of Trinidad, the island on which this unique percussion phenomenon was born. The band remains dedicated to entertaining audiences with spirit, authenticity, and respect.

HSU Percussion: Toccata, Canticle and A Woman’s Right to Drum

 HSU Percussion Ensemble breaks out all the instruments for classic works by Carlos Chavez, Lou Harrison and John Cage, and the World Percussion Group plays a traditional piece from Ghana that celebrates a woman’s right to drum, on Sunday April 19.

 Mexican composer Carlos Chavez combined Central American, Asian and European instruments in his 1942 Toccata for Percussion. “Musically, he combines exciting rhythmic passages and sudden dynamic changes with slower passages that employ exotic scales and timbres,” said Percussion Ensemble director Eugene Novotney. 

John Cage, who asked Chavez to compose the Toccata, is on the program with Second Construction  from 1940. Lou Harrison’s Canticle #3 adds flute and guitar to an array of percussion instruments. The HSU Marimba Band ends the set with folkloric music from Mexico, Guatemala and Africa. 

 Directed by Howard Kaufman, the World Percussion Group follows with a set that features “Takada,” Ghana’s traditional celebration of a woman’s right to drum. HSU student teacher Joe Bishop leads a suite of Mandeng drumming from West Africa. 

Percussion Ensemble and World Percussion Group perform on Sunday April 19 at 8 p.m. in Fulkerson Recital Hall. Tickets from HSU Ticket Office (826-3928) or at the door: $8 general, $5 seniors and children, HSU students with ID admitted free. Directed by Eugene Novotney and Howard Kaufman, produced by HSU Music Department.

Media: Eureka Times-Standard Urge, Mad River Union, North Coast Journal, Humboldt State Now.

Percussion Concert: Director's Notes

The HSU Percussion Ensemble will feature an exciting and diverse program of material presenting the listener with contemporary percussion compositions and soundscapes, as well as traditional drumming styles based in the music of Africa and Cuba.

The featured work on the program is Toccata for Percussion, composed in 1942 by the Pan-American composer, Carlos Chavez. Chavez was born and died in Mexico City, and at the age of 29, he was named the director of Mexico’s National Conservatory and the director of Orchesta Sinfonia de Mexico.

 In Toccata, Chavez mixes Central American percussion instruments (claves, maracas, bongos) with standard European percussion instruments (timpani, snare drums, field drums) and Asian instruments (gongs) to create a true “mixed-world” instrumentation. Musically, he combines exciting rhythmic passages and sudden dynamic changes with slower passages that employ exotic scales and timbres. The result is a piece that is both fascinating and profound.

 The Percussion Ensemble will also be presenting one of John Cage’s most famous and innovative works from the 1940’s entitled, Second Construction. This highly experimental work calls for percussionists playing traditional Western percussion instruments combined with exotic instruments from around the world, including Balinese Gongs, Indian Oxen Bells, African Pod-Rattles, and Chinese Temple Bells.

One of the more unusual instruments employed is Cage’s infamous “water gong,” where the percussionist submerges a Chinese gong in water to alter and manipulate its pitch. Also featured in this work is Cage’s famous “Prepared-Piano,” an instrument created by taking a classical grand piano and adding nuts, bolts, washers, rubber, and other objects to the piano strings and sound-board. The effect creates an instrument that sounds more like an electronic synthesizer than an acoustic piano, and the effect is both stunning and surprising.

 Also on the program will be a beautiful soundscape by Cage’s contemporary, Lou Harrison, entitled Canticle # 3. It features the addition of flute and guitar to the percussion ensemble, and also features many “found objects” used as percussion instruments, as well as exotic percussion instruments such as Nigerian log drums, Indian elephant bells, sistrums, anvils, and a cajon.

Rounding out the Percussion Ensemble set will be a performance by the HSU Marimba Band of folkloric music from Guatamala, Mexico, and Africa.

 The HSU World Percussion Group will be presenting, "Takada", a traditional Ghanaian piece celebrating a woman's right to drum, and "Lucumî", an Afro-Cuban suite of rhythms and songs of Yoruba origin, originally from Nigeria. The show will end with a West African Drumming Ensemble, led by HSU student teacher, Joe Bishop. This group will be performing a suite of traditional Mandeng Drumming from West Africa using all indigenous instruments, featuring driving rhythms and a dynamic rhythmic interplay.

--Eugene Novotney

Calypso Band Dance Rhythms, Percussion Ensemble’s Metallic Rainforest 

 HSU Calypso Band plays high-energy dance music from Trinidad, the World Percussion Group explores dance drumming from Ghana and the Percussion Ensemble performs two percussive classics, all on Saturday December 6 in the Van Duzer Theatre. 

 “The First Construction in Metal” is a 1939 John Cage composition that Percussion Ensemble director Eugene Novotney calls “brash, creative and a vital example of the American avant-garde style.” It employs 58 metal instruments to produce what New Music writer Alexandra Gardner calls “a metallic rainforest.”

 “Many consider it to be Cage’s finest early work,” Novotney said, “and this is an excellent opportunity to hear and experience this classic piece.” 

 The Percussion Ensemble also plays “Concertino for 12 Percussionists and 2 Pianos” by Czech composer Vaclev Nelhybel.

 “Nehlybel uses different combinations of membranes, woods, and metals to create fascinating textures and soundscapes that surround the listener with pulsating rhythmic variety,” Novotney said. The result is “an immense piece” that is “highly rhythmic and extremely exciting.” 

 Then the World Percussion Group explores dance drumming from the Ewe people of Ghana, aided by dancers from the HSU World Dance Expressions class performing traditional choreography. 

 The Calypso Band takes over for the second half of the concert with authentic dance rhythms from Trinidad, including two modern Panorama classics: “Misbehave” by Lennox “Boogsie” Sharpe, and “We Just Can’t Go On Like This” by Ray Holman. 

HSU Calypso Band, World Percussion Group and Percussion Ensemble perform on Saturday December 6 at 8 p.m. in the Van Duzer Theatre on the HSU campus. Tickets are $10/$5 seniors & children/$3 HSU students from HSU Ticket Office (826-3928) or at the door. Directed by Eugene Novotney and Howard Kaufman, produced by HSU Music Department.

Media: North Coast Journal, Mad River Union, Humboldt State Now

Calypso Band and Percussion Ensemble Present Rhythmic Premieres

 The Humboldt State Calypso Band has been around for 28 years, but has never performed a full-length panorama piece composed by one of its own members. At least not until Saturday May 3 at the Van Duzer Theatre. 

 Matt Norman’s “Pandemic,” composed in the classic Panorama style, will premiere that night. That’s in addition to the usual high-energy dance music the Calypso Band always provides. 

 Earlier in the evening, the HSU Percussion Ensemble performs another world premiere: a work by HSU alum Dante De Silva called “Engine Room,” commissioned to celebrate the HSU centennial.

 Director of both ensembles Eugene Novotney calls it “an epic work. Almost every percussion instrument that HSU has in its inventory will be on stage for this performance.” 

 “The piece is both beautiful in its melodic approach, and at times, barbaric in its rhythmic interplay,” Novotney said. “It is a true masterwork for percussion instruments in both its concept and in its vast scope, and it is destined to be a major addition to the repertoire for percussion.”

 The Ensemble also performs “Piru Bole,” a classic composition by John Bergamo, the American percussionist and composer from California Institute of the Arts who died in October. In 1987 he performed this piece on the Fulkerson Recital Hall stage with the HSU Percussion Ensemble. 

 A suite of traditional Mandeng drumming from West Africa and a special presentation of Brazilian samba by the HSU World Percussion Group completes the first half of the concert. 

 In addition to “Pandemic,” the Calypso Band selections in the second half include “Fire Down Below” by Boogsie Sharpe and two pieces by steelband legend Ray Holman: “If We Really Want” and “We Just Can’t Go On Like This.”

 Humboldt State Calypso Band and Percussion Ensemble perform on Saturday May 3 at 8 p.m. in the Van Duzer Theatre on HSU campus. Tickets are $10/$8 seniors and students, $3 HSU students, from the HSU Ticket Office (826-3928) or at the door.  Directed by Eugene Novotney and Howard Kaufman, produced by the HSU Music Department.

Oops! Can’t Miss Percussion & Calypso Band Concert

 HSU Percussion Ensemble presents the North Coast premiere of Oops, the World Percussion Group pounds out exciting rhythms of the Brazilian Samba and the HSU Calypso Band does their Caribbean thing on Saturday December 7 in the Van Duzer Theatre.

Oops, made famous by composer Mike Manieri and his jazz fusion group Step Ahead, features a vibraphone solo by HSU percussionist and graduating senior Nev Mattinson. 

 The Percussion Ensemble also presents a composition by Christopher Rouse based on Haitian ritual rhythms, Mark Ford’s Head Talk and a percussion trio, Intentions, by the group’s director Eugene Novotney.

 Mandeng drumming from West Africa and the World Percussion Group (directed by Howard Kaufman) performing Brazilian samba sounds completes the concert’s first half. 

 Then comes the HSU Calypso Band, now in its 28th year. Among its high energy dance rhythms are two modern classics from Trinidad: Fire Down Below by Len “Bogsie” Sharpe and Pan in A Minor by Lord Kitchener and Jit Samaroo. 

 HSU Percussion Ensemble, World Percussion Group and Calypso Band perform on Saturday December 7 at 8 p.m. in the Van Duzer Theatre on the HSU campus in Arcata. Tickets: $10 general, $5 seniors and children, $3 HSU students from HSU Ticket Office (826-3928) or at the door.

Media: North Coast Journal, Mad River Union, Humboldt State Now

Notes: Percussion Ensemble & Calypso Band Concert

“Presenting contemporary music for Percussion Ensemble; the folkloric percussion music of the of West Africa; the exciting rhythms of the Brazilian Samba; and the festive steel drum sounds of the Calypso tradition of the Caribbean.”

 The Percussion Ensemble will open the show by presenting a wide variety of contemporary music for percussion, including the Northcoast premier of Oops, made famous by jazz vibraphonist, Mike Manieri, and the seminal jazz-fusion group, Steps Ahead. Oops features an infectious groove and a phenomenal arrangement orchestrated for Marimbas, Vibraphones, Bells, Chimes, Steelpans, Bass, and Drumset, and will feature a vibraphone solo by HSU percussionist and graduating senior, Nev Mattinson.

 Also featured will be Christopher Rouse’s engaging composition, Ogoun Badagris, which is based on Haitian ritual rhythms to the deity, Ogoun. Here’s the composer’s description: “Ogoun Badagris derives its inspiration from Haitian drumming patterns, particularly those of the Juba Dance. Hence, it seemed logical to tie in the work with various aspects of Voodoo ritual. Ogoun Badagris is one of the most terrible and violent of all Voodoo loas (deities) and he can be appeased only by human blood sacrifice. This work may thus be interpreted as a dance of appeasement. The four conga drums often act as the focal point in the work and can be compared with the role of the four most basic drums in the Voodoo religion — the be-be, the seconde, the maman, and the asator. The metal plates and sleighbells are to a certain extent parallels of the Haitian ogan. The work begins with a brief action de grace, a ceremonial call-to-action in which the high priest shakes the giant rattle known as the asson, here replaced by cabasa. Then the principle dance begins, a grouillère: this is a highly erotic and even brutally sexual ceremonial dance which in turn is succeeded by the Danse Vaudou at the point at which demonic possession occurs. The word "reler," which the performers must shriekat the conclusion of the work, is the Voodoo equivalent of the Judaeo-Christian amen.”

 Additional works on the concert include Mark Ford’s, Head Talk, composed for REMO pre-tuned drumheads, and the percussion trio, Intentions, composed by the groups’ director, Eugene Novotney.

The first half of the show will end with a suite of traditional Mandeng Drumming from West Africa, and a special presentation by the HSU World Percussion Group of the the exciting rhythms of the Brazilian Samba, all performed on traditional folkloric instruments.

 The second half of the show will feature the festive dance music of the Humboldt State Calypso Band. It is significant to note that while HSU is celebrating its 100th year anniversary this year, the Calypso Band celebrating its 28th year of existence, all under the direction of its founder, Dr. Eugene Novotney. For over a quarter-century, the Calypso Band has been performing and entertaining local audiences, and has proven to be one of Humboldt County’s favorite musical ensembles.

 The Calypso Band will feature several high-energy dance compositions from the Caribbean in their set, including two modern Panorama classics from the island of Trinidad – Fire Down Below by Len “Bogsie” Sharpe, and Pan in ‘A’ Minor by Lord Kitchener & Jit Samaroo. The Humboldt State Calypso Band prides itself in maintaining an accurate and authentic connection to the roots of the steel band movement and the innovative musicians of Trinidad, the island on which this unique percussion phenomenon was born. The band is dedicated to the performance of traditional and contemporary music from the Caribbean, Africa, Brazil, Cuba and the United States.

Springing Percussion at the Van Duzer Theatre

Important work in the percussion ensemble repertoire, plus Bantu music from Cuba and calypso dance rhythms are all featured in the shared HSU Percussion Ensemble, World Percussion Group and Calypso Band spring concert on Saturday May 4 in the Van Duzer Theatre.

 Edgard Varese’s preeminent Ionisation requires 14 performers playing over 47 instruments, and is an “ extremely revolutionary work” according to Percussion Ensemble director Eugene Novotney. 

“Other composers wrote solely for percussion before Varese composed Isonisation,” Steve Smith noted in the New York Times in 2010, “but none with his sophistication and subtlety.” The piece is in conventional sonata form, but (Smith writes) “Varese’s use of timbre, texture and density, rather than melody and harmony, as organizational tools pointed the way towards more radical future propositions like musique concrete and electronic music.”

 Another work for multiple and unusual instruments (including Chinese water gong and prepared piano) is Second Construction by John Cage. In addition to works by Nigel Westlake and others, the Ensemble also performs a cult classic by HSU alum and founding member of the Mr. Bungle group Trey Spruance, as featured on the hit album Disco Volante.

 The World Percussion Group performs a suite of traditional Mandeng drumming from West Africa as well as Cuban "Bantu" folkloric music. Then fresh from acclaimed concerts in Los Angeles, the Calypso Band takes over with its authentic rhythms and high energy dance music from the Caribbean.

 HSU Percussion Ensemble, World Percussion Group and Calypso Band perform on Saturday May 4 at 8 p.m. in the Van Duzer Theatre on the HSU campus in Arcata. $7/$3 students & seniors, with first 50 HSU students admitted free. Tickets: 826-3928 or at the door. Directed by Eugene Novotney and Howard Kaufman, produced by HSU Music Department.

Media: Humboldt State Now, Arcata Eye, North Coast Journal